Serving Our Youngest Patrons (And Their Families!)

When I was assigned this blog post, I noticed the due date looked familiar—it’s the same as the due date for my second baby! It felt only fitting to talk about the huge impact the library had on my life and my family’s lives when my daughter Elena was an infant, and how the library continues to serve our youngest patrons and their families.

The library actually helped me prepare for parenthood before Elena was even born. I was excited to learn everything I could about pregnancy and early childhood. I checked out parenting books from the library to snuggle up with on the couch when I was tired. I also used hoopla and eLibraryNJ to download audiobooks to listen to as I arranged the nursery and knitted Elena’s coming home outfit. Here are some of my favorite books our collection offers for new and expecting parents:

Bringing Up Bebé by Pamela Druckerman

I enjoyed this window into French parenting, and learned some helpful strategies for encouraging good sleep and eating habits. This is a quick read with a light and conversational tone.

Weird Parenting Wins: Bathtub Dining, Family Screams, and Other Hacks from the Parenting Trenches by Hilary Frank

I love Hilary Frank’s podcast The Longest Shortest Time, which shares funny and moving personal stories of regular people and celebrities with unique parenting experiences. For this book, Frank crowdsources creative parenting “hacks” her listeners have discovered in moments of desperation. The results are hilarious and helpful!

The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp

Some say this book is unnecessarily long, but many new parents swear by Karp’s “5 S’s” techniques for soothing screaming infants. These techniques are described in detail in part two of the book.

 

Elevating Child Care: A Guide to Respectful Parenting by Janet Lansbury

As with Hilary Frank, I first encountered Janet Lansbury through her wonderful parenting podcast, Unruffled. In this book, Lansbury shares her philosophy of respectful parenting, which sees babies and young children as unique and capable human beings we can connect with and support in their development through a thoughtful approach to everyday activities.

Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy

This is a detailed, no-nonsense guide to fertility, pregnancy, and post-partum care from a respected team of medical professionals. It’s not a book I would sit down and read cover-to-cover, but it’s great to refer to with specific questions.

Expecting Better by Emily Oster

In this book, economist Emily Oster delves into the data from scientific studies on pregnancy. In a straightforward and judgement-free way, she shares information that will help expecting parents make their own informed choices about the risks and benefits of certain foods, activities, prenatal tests, and more during pregnancy.

Baby-Led Weaning: The Essential Guide by Gill Rapley and Tracey Murkett

While there’s no one right way to feed a baby, we found it incredibly fun and liberating to introduce solids to Elena by letting her explore the textures and flavors of the same foods we were eating, rather than having to make separate purees for her. This guide helped us approach baby-led weaning in a safe and informed way.

With the arrival of Elena, my world shifted and shrank dramatically. I wasn’t driving at the time, but I was used to riding my bike all over the county to explore and spend time with friends and family. Now, I was limited to what was within walking distance of my house. Fortunately, the Hopewell Branch of MCLS was just around the corner. It became our lifeline. 

I started bringing Elena to baby time with Miss Briana when she was only a few months old. We would also come on other days to play with the toys and devour board books (both literally and figuratively). There are so many more board book options nowadays than there were when I was little. MCLS’s board book collection includes reprints of classics you may have thought of as being just for older kids; interactive and sensory books; and even bilingual options. Some of our favorites included:

You Are Light by Aaron Becker

This stunning ode to light features translucent circles of color that blend and transform when held up to the light. Elena was entranced.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar = La Oruga Muy Hambrienta by Eric Carle

We’ve always loved this classic, with the little “nibble holes” in the pages just big enough for a toddler’s finger. We were excited to find it as a bilingual board book to start introducing Elena to the Spanish language.

Crinkle, Crinkle, Little Star by Justin Krasner

This poem set to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” introduces children to some of the constellations in the night sky. The crinkly cover and shiny star at the end of the book kept Elena engaged.

The library was a place for both of us to explore, learn, and socialize. I was able to be fully present with Elena, without the distractions of meal prep and cleaning to pull me away. We connected with other local families, some of whom remain close friends today. Library friends with older children were a great resource for parenting tips, and were the first to tell me about Hopewell’s public preschool PEECH program, where Elena is now thriving. 

Before I had Elena, I had worked as an educator in various settings, but had never quite found the right fit. I enjoyed baby time, toddler rock, and storytime so much that I realized youth librarianship would be the perfect career for me! With the guidance and encouragement of the fabulous Hopewell librarians, I took the plunge and applied for library school. Librarianship has turned out to be everything I had hoped and more. It is such a joy to support young families here at the Lawrence Branch in the same way the Hopewell librarians supported us. I get to lead storytimes every Monday morning at 10, and my incredible colleagues in the youth services department offer different programs for babies and toddlers most mornings of the week. You’re also welcome to drop in any time to read and play with our toys.

Now that my family is expecting a second child, the library’s collection is helping us prepare Elena for her role as a big sister, just as it helped us prepare to become parents. MCLS has a wonderful collection of books on pregnancy and new siblings geared toward our youngest readers. Here are a couple of our favorites:

9 Months by Courtney Adamo and Esther van de Paal

This picture book is a month-by-month guide to pregnancy for older siblings. Each section includes a summary of what is happening that month; a comparison of the baby’s size to a food item; a connection to the way other baby animals grow; a few interesting facts; and a description of how mama is feeling. We found this book contained the perfect amount of detail for a 4-year-old to learn about how her new sibling is growing without getting overwhelmed.

Welcome to the Big Kids Club: What Every Older Sibling Needs to Know! by Chelsea Clinton

This book answers common questions children might have about how their new babies experience the world, why they act the way they do, and what older siblings can do to help and connect with them. We love how inclusive the book is, showing families with many different skin tones and including children with disabilities.

If you are a new or expecting parent, I hope you will find that the library offers you the same amazing resources and support it has for me and my family. And I look forward to seeing you and your little one(s) soon at the Lawrence Branch!

- by Molly R., Lawrence Headquarters Branch