What Parenting Books are the Most Helpful?

As my husband and I complete our first year as parents I find myself thinking about the journey thus far. Overall we have experienced great joy, yet we have at times struggled to make sense of everything that has happened and had our share of discussions as to how to deal with things. From breasfeeding, to getting our son to sleep in his own crib, to going back to work concerns, we have had plenty of discussions and many times where we could have used an expert's guide or manual.

I like to read research and a bunch of other people's ideas on how best to go about things, especially parenting, and then mix all the ideas up and come up with this collage of ideas that suits our needs at that particular time. As my husband and I are hands-on learning about parenting, I decided it was a good time to read, research, and create one of these conglomerate theories to, “make everything make sense”.

I started at the library in the parenting section, a section that has its own mini-sections, with parenting books on topics you hope you never have to deal with as a parent. As I skimmed over title after title I thought about whether I would actually have time to read any of these books, and about what other real life parents have read and gotten some wisdom from.

So, please share:
What is your favorite parenting book (title and author)?
How has it helped you as a parent?
How did you find time to read it? Just kidding!


Jen; Mother to a 1 year old boy, who makes regular trips to the library but rarely gets out of the children's section.