Book recommendation: The Wonder Weeks

If you've read my posts, you know that I have chosen to approach motherhood as the ultimate teaching/ learning experience. This approach has helped me, an elementary school teacher, maintain my sanity during the hard times and be even more in awe of my little bugger during the amazing times. Plus, I was a Child Development major in college and I am a total dork, so I like knowing what's going on in E's little (but hugely intelligent) brain.

Well, wouldn't you know- I found a book that fits perfectly with my dorky child development obsession. Apparently there are others out there just like me! I think I first heard of The Wonder Weeks when I was googling something like, "Is it normal if my baby ______?" You can fill in the blank with a variety of insane first-time mom concerns. Feel free to get creative, because I probably googled just about anything you could dream up. Anyway, after I heard of the book I immediately wanted to buy it, but I waited until I found it at a garage sale for $2 (see, I'm dorky AND cheap! No wonder B snapped me up off the singles market so quickly). I must say, this is by far the best $2 I have ever spent.

www.thewonderweeks.com

The authors of this book argue that babies make a series of developmental "leaps" throughout their first year and a half of life. They say that while each leap leads to something really cool and big for the little one (crawling, grasping the concept of object permanence, pulling up to stand, etc.), the journey to that big thing can be a bit bumpy. During the leap, babies display more crankiness, clinginess and crying than normal. Poor little guys are exhausted physically and mentally by trying to master this big world one little piece at a time.

Part of a handy chart to show you when your baby's "cloudy" aka mid-leap crazy kid times may fall.
www.thewonderweeks.com

The book is broken into 10 leaps. For each leap, the authors provide a description of what's happening, a checklist of common behaviors, ways it may affect you and ways to help your baby through the leap. The authors also provide a list of games to compliment each developmental leap. I'm always so surprised how well E responds to the games, and it's refreshing to add something new to our repertoire of go-to play activities every few weeks.

For example, The Wonder Weeks suggested I give E baskets of his own so he could explore the "world of relationships" during week 26. He LOVES dumping them out, although he doesn't really care to fill them back up. Oh, well- at least I've gained a willing laundry day helper!

Each section also includes quotes from parents whose babies are going through the phase. I love this feature because it generally makes me feel better about myself, in much the same way that watching an episode of Teen Mom does (if you haven't watched this yet, you should- go now). To be fair, most of the parent quotes are helpful and informative, but there are a few gems in there, let me tell you. My favorites include: "He'd been screaming so relentlessly that I suddenly shouted out angrily, 'Now shut up!' and walked away," and "When he cries in public I think to myself, 'Why don't you shut up you stupid kid!'" Hahaha.

So, if you're a psychology/ child development dork like me or if you're just searching for a reason your little angel has turned into a crazy person, check this book out! They also have a website and an iPhone app. Happy reading!