Parenting Resources

[Teddoman]

For anyone with Taiwanese or Chinese spouses or nannies, does anyone know of any good resources comparable to The Complete Resource Book for Infants: Over 700 Experiences for Children from Birth to 18 Months. Our nanny doesn't read English and we'd like her to play with the baby more.

[piwackit]

I have seen one of the Gymboree books at Eslite. you can buy it in either Chinese or English and has activities for babies.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Gymbor ... 0760782163

[asiababy]

And the Xinyi bookstores sell a number of books promoting interactive activities between caregiver and child, both translated from English and locally-produced.

地址：100台北市重慶南路二段75號1樓 (Chung-Ching Sth Road Sec 2, No. 75 - in the area of the botanical gardens/post office museum)
‧TEL：(02)2321-8986
‧營業時間：週一 ~ 週日9:00~19:00

[making lemonade]

I would also add www.babycenter.com. it's particularly handy for expecting parents; just register with your expected due date, and you'll get an update every week on how your fetus and body are developing/changing and what to expect.

[Teddoman]

Here's a good blog with apparently science-based information. She cites her sources, so you can always go to the source material.
http://www.parentingscience.com/parenting-blog.html

The unsuspecting parent might not realize this but parenting is as ideological as American politics, I've found, and as commercialized as any other industry. Make sure to understand which "camp" the articles you read are coming from and which guru is promoting the ideas and why. A lot of the claims made in the parentverse do not necessarily have scientific studies backing them.

[funkyjojo]

Three books that I'm a big fan of are:

What's going on in there - How the brain and mind develop in the first five years of life by Lise Eliot (my aka: the brain book):
It has become the basis of my knowledge on baby development and what I judge all other book discussions by. A strong scientific piece of writing that is easily understood by the non-bio me.

Only downside is the binding's not that great on the English version (hubby has the Chinese version and it's fine there). Not a big problem here in Taiwan because it's quick, easy and cheap to get books re-bound.

Your self-confident baby - How to encourage your child's natural abilities from the very start by Magda Gerber:
This is a baby/toddler development/attached philosophy that speaks to me (called the RIE philosophy). I feel RIE gives a good balance to life, makes intrinsic sense to me, and is facinating. The focus is on allowing a baby to explore and develop at his or own pace and to his or her own interests.

The diaper-free baby - The natural toilet training alternative by Christine Gross-loh:
A good book on elimination communication (some other books on EC are not so good); it is balanced, not overbearing, not fanatic and not pushy. I think it goes along the lines of RIE (respecting and communicating with baby...rather than having the goal of having a potty trained infant). I thought it was great as it gave me an understanding for how we can make it work within our life-style to the degree we are comfortable with.

[baberenglish]

don't forget
1) common sense
2) TLC
3) interaction
4) spending time with your baby doing anything and everything
I don't think there is a book on that . be responsible. use your brain and spend time with your baby!

[lindaifu]

I highly recommend Dr. Sears series. it's vey rewarding to see my own child growing with joy & confidence. I am looking for an attachment parenting support group in Taipei, anyone?

[Maglaveer]

baberenglish hit the nail on the head.

[nickythechicki]

Hey All,
So jumping back up the page a little to the mention of Suzuki method to teach music.... does anyone know of Suzuki violin or piano teachers in the Tianmu/Beitou/Shilin area please?
Thanks
N