Book Reviews
Yvette O’Dowd has been a passionate reader since childhood. Her first pregnancy in the early 1980s saw her consuming the local library collection of books about pregnancy, childbirth, child development and child care. Having ignited a life-long interest in these subjects, Yvette went on to work at Merrily Merrily Enterprises [the retail arm of the Nursing Mothers’ Association of Australia (now known as The Australian Breastfeeding Association)] from 1995 - 2000. This included the recommendation and sale of books on breastfeeding and human lactation, parenting and related titles to both parents and health professionals.
From 2008 - 2013, Yvette ran The Breastfeeding Centre In Dandenong, Victoria - the Victorian Branch Office of the Australian Breastfeeding Association. Here she curated and maintained an extensive library of books available to both members and volunteers. When establishing the Southern Natural Parenting Network in 2014, Yvette had a vision of a collection of books available to members and the wider community, establishing a community library on wheels available at meets and events. Yvette’ family are resigned to her extensive personal collection! (Thank goodness for the digital revolution!)
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Browse Yvette’s recommendations:
Sleeping Like a Baby
This title explores normal infant sleep through a gentle, biologically informed lens. Rejecting sleep training and rigid schedules, Pinky McKay offers advice on responsive night-time parenting, co-sleeping, sleep regressions, and balancing adult rest with baby needs.
Parenting by Heart
This foundational title offers an encouraging and compassionate introduction to gentle parenting. Pinky McKay draws on science, instinct, and lived experience to help parents build secure attachment and confidence from the newborn stage through toddlerhood. Topics include breastfeeding, sleep, infant communication, settling, and responsive care.
Toddler Tactics
This book helps parents navigate the unpredictable world of toddlerhood with empathy and clarity. It covers tantrums, sleep, eating, toilet learning, and independence, offering practical strategies for guiding children respectfully through this intense developmental stage.
100 Ways to Calm the Crying
A practical, reassuring guide for parents of crying babies, offering insight into the many reasons babies cry and how to respond gently and effectively. Strategies include physical comfort, emotional attunement, sensory support, and self-care for parents.
The Fussy Baby Book
This book offers guidance for parents of high-need infants and toddlers, providing strategies to soothe and understand fussy behaviors. Drawing from their pediatric experience and personal parenting journey, the Sears present insights into the unique challenges and rewards of raising a high-need child, emphasizing responsive and intuitive parenting.
Nighttime Parenting: How to Get Your Baby and Child to Sleep
This early work by Dr. William Sears offers a foundational perspective on infant and toddler sleep through the lens of attachment parenting. It addresses the biological and emotional aspects of children's sleep, emphasizing the importance of responsiveness and connection during nighttime hours. The book discusses topics such as co-sleeping, night nursing, and the developmental nature of sleep patterns, aiming to help parents understand and support their child's sleep needs without resorting to rigid training methods.
The Attachment Parenting Book
This book introduces the core principles of attachment parenting in an accessible, supportive format. It outlines the "7 Baby B's" — birth bonding, breastfeeding, babywearing, bedding close to baby, belief in the language value of your baby’s cry, beware of baby trainers, and balance — as foundational tools for building secure attachment. The authors emphasize flexibility, parental intuition, and emotional connection.
Parenting for a Peaceful World
This book explores how child-rearing practices throughout history have shaped societies and major world events. Robin Grille argues that safeguarding children's emotional development is key to creating a more peaceful and harmonious world. Drawing on research in psychology, neuroscience, and history, the book examines the impact of different parenting styles on individuals and societies.
Playful Parenting
Playful Parenting presents an approach to parenting that emphasizes the use of play to build strong, connected relationships between parents and children. Lawrence J. Cohen, a clinical psychologist specializing in children's play and play therapy, argues that play is a fundamental way for children to express themselves, process emotions, and connect with others. The book offers practical strategies for parents to engage with their children through play, helping to address behavioral challenges, foster emotional resilience, and strengthen the parent-child bond.
Positive Parenting: An Essential Guide
This book offers a comprehensive approach to parenting that emphasizes emotional connection over control. Drawing from her personal experiences and extensive research, Eanes provides practical strategies for parents to foster empathy, respect, and understanding within the family unit. The guide addresses common challenges such as power struggles and emotional triggers, aiming to help parents build stronger, more harmonious relationships with their children.
Informed is Best: How to Spot Fake News about Your Pregnancy, Birth and Baby
This book offers a comprehensive guide to navigating the vast array of information surrounding pregnancy, birth, and early parenting. Amy Brown, a professor of public health, provides readers with tools to critically evaluate the credibility of various sources, understand research methodologies, and make informed decisions that align with their individual needs and values. The book emphasizes the importance of discerning evidence-based information from misinformation, empowering parents to trust their judgment in the face of conflicting advice.
Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering
This book offers a comprehensive guide to natural childbirth and early parenting, blending scientific research with personal experience. Dr. Sarah Buckley, a family physician and mother of four, advocates for minimizing medical interventions during birth and emphasizes the importance of a calm, supportive environment. She explores topics such as undisturbed birth, the hormonal processes involved in labor, and the benefits of practices like co-sleeping and extended breastfeeding. The book is divided into two parts: "Gentle Birth," focusing on pregnancy and childbirth, and "Gentle Mothering," which addresses early parenting choices.
Heart to Heart Parenting
This book offers a compassionate guide to nurturing children's emotional intelligence from conception through the early school years. Robin Grille, an Australian psychologist and parenting educator, emphasizes the importance of deep connection and empathy in parenting. He provides insights into understanding children's emotional needs and offers practical strategies for building strong, respectful relationships without resorting to punishment or manipulation.
The Positive Birth Book
This book offers a comprehensive guide to pregnancy, childbirth, and the early weeks of parenting, emphasizing informed choices and positive experiences. Milli Hill provides evidence-based information on various aspects of birth, including building a birth plan, understanding rights in the birth room, and exploring options like optimal cord clamping and gentle caesarean. The book also introduces a visual birth plan tool to help parents communicate their preferences effectively.
Letting Go As Children Grow
This warm and insightful book examines the often emotional and complex journey of giving children increasing independence. Deborah Jackson explores how we can support our children’s growing autonomy while maintaining strong, connected relationships through each stage of development — from babyhood through to adolescence.
Three in the Bed: The Benefits of Sleeping with Your Children
This thoughtful book explores the cultural, emotional, and biological reasons why families throughout history and around the world have shared sleep. Deborah Jackson draws on anthropological insight, parenting experiences, and scientific evidence to advocate for co-sleeping as a natural, nurturing, and safe choice when done responsibly.
Ourselves As Mothers: The Universal Experience of Motherhood
In this deeply reflective work, renowned anthropologist and birth advocate Sheila Kitzinger explores the emotional terrain of motherhood. Drawing on personal stories and cross-cultural perspectives, she weaves a narrative that honours the complexity of becoming and being a mother—beyond the practicalities and into the realms of identity, loss, love, and transformation.
Rediscovering Birth
In Rediscovering Birth, Sheila Kitzinger calls for a return to birth as a transformative, embodied, and empowering rite of passage. Drawing from global traditions, historical practices, and women’s lived experiences, she critiques the medicalisation of birth and advocates for respectful, woman-centred care that honours autonomy and cultural wisdom.
Birth And Breastfeeding: Rediscovering The Needs Of Women During Pregnancy And Childbirth
French obstetrician Michel Odent draws on decades of experience to explore how modern maternity practices interfere with women’s innate physiological processes during birth and breastfeeding. He explains how medicalised environments, stress, and lack of privacy can inhibit oxytocin — the hormone responsible for labour, bonding, and milk ejection — and argues for a return to instinctive, uninterrupted birthing and breastfeeding experiences. Odent’s writing is grounded in his research on primal health and his clinical innovations supporting undisturbed birth.
Finding Sufficiency: Breastfeeding With Insufficient Glandular Tissue
This pioneering book is the first to explore the phenomenon of breastfeeding or nursing aversion in depth. Drawing from research, lived experience, and practical strategies, Yate shines a light on a deeply under-acknowledged experience that many breastfeeding mothers face — often in silence and confusion.