Do You Really Need Parenting Books?

Before I gave birth, many people including many new parents told me that I MUST get a good parenting book which will help me a lot being a new parent.

I was quite hesitant because here in Malaysia, parenting books are really expensive and many of the guides does not apply to the style of Asian parenting. And also you can get plenty of good guidance from the internet and baby forums such as Baby Centre which I commonly visit to get some opinions. Also with parenting books, different authors would have different rules and guides so basically there is no standard rule on parenting.



My husband also discourage me from getting one and being dependent on the book. It is a valid reason because I have realized that many new parents are so dependent on their parenting books until they would lose their common sense and follow every single rule of it which totally defeats the whole idea of being a parent. Don't you think so?

So in the end I got myself a really simple parenting book which didn't cost much just to read up on really important things such as baby's safety. As for the rest, I wanted to try things on my own and listen to my own instinct. Hey, come to think of it, during the olden days when people were poor and books publishers were not around, parents learn through experience and from scratch.

Does your pet read parenting book before giving birth to kittens & puppies?

But I'm not against the use of parenting books. I know some parents really need it but in my opinion, the best would be do read the parenting books, but also try listening to your instincts and do it in your own way. I find it really effective to try it out my way and if it fails, I would then refer to these guides. But for me the information from Baby Centre is sufficient for me.

Online forums are also a good way to gain information if you need any guidance because most of the people who answers are people who had tried the method rather than some author who just summaries some theories and idealist methods.

Through these forums, there is one conclusion. Every baby is different and not all methods will work. So just keep trying and be creative to solve your baby problems!