Parenting Books

We know new parents don't get tons of sleep. Between getting the hang of changing diapers and mastering how to calm a crying baby, moms don't have much time for researching the best baby sleep books. Ranging from hands-on to hands-off, there's a book out there for everyone, so we've rounded up helpful guides to fit any mama's personality. From the mom who loves to follow schedules to ones who are serious nurturers, these books provide tips and suggestions from experts, many of whom are parents themselves!

Congratulations — you're having a baby! Along with picking the perfect baby room decor and soothing nursery paint color, you've become a bit overwhelmed on where to start searching for your future lil one's name. Before grabbing any old baby book off the shelf, we've done the hard work for you and narrowed your book choices by personality type. Looking for a classically chic name that has charm? We found a baby name book for that. How about a baby name book with a bit of a rock star edge? We've got you covered. Keep reading to find the book that will assist with finding the absolutely perfect baby name for your new little bundle of love.

There are some unwritten rules of parenting that we just know to teach our kids (mostly because our parents enforced them with us): sharing is important, be inclusive, and don't hit. But in this age of new parenting methods (Tiger Mom, Free Range Mom, French Mom, anyone?), a new philosophy is set to cause a stir on the playground just in time for parents to send their tots back to school. It's OK Not to Share, a new book from journalist Heather Shumaker, will hit stores on Aug. 2, and her self-described Renegade Rules turn commonly held household rules upside-down.

Based on the philosophy of the preschool she attended as a tot (and where her own mom still teaches), Shumaker offers up 29 parenting rules that all fall under the umbrella of the Renegade Golden Rule: "It's OK if it's not hurting people or property." With easy-to-follow instructions for following the rules — including tool boxes of sayings and actions for parents — the book is a manual for the parent who's had it with many of today's popular parenting styles. Here are a few titillating teasers from the book.

When a friend passed on Louann Brizendine's The Male Brain ($17) I almost added it to my already sky-high tower of books, but her recommendation was so passionate, I cracked it open during my commute. And I couldn't stop reading. The follow up to Brizendine's bestselling The Female Brain, the XY edition looks at the lifespan of a man's brain — from conception to old age — and how hormones influence growth, behavior, and the stages of life. While many of the book's insights felt like common sense reminders from college courses and pregnancy preparedness guides, I learned (or re-learned) a few fascinating tidbits that have already helped me better understand the men in my life. I highly suggest you pick up a copy, but in the interim, here are a few titillating teasers.

Pregnancy and parenting can be really scary for guys. It's unfamiliar territory and all the bodily fluids involved in both childbirth and taking care of a baby freaks out many new dads and dads-to-be. Check out these five funny pregnancy and parenting books for dad and lighten the mood with a few laughs!

"The more you read, the more you know." For most new moms and moms-to-be, this seems to be a motto. We pour over book after book trying to prepare ourselves for childbirth and child rearing, but sometimes it feels like we're overeducating ourselves — it's a lot of information to absorb in a short amount of time.

If you're feeling overwhelmed by all the "expert" books you've been reading, perhaps it's time for a little comedic relief. Get your LOLs on with these five funny books on pregnancy and parenting.