The Rookie Mom's Handbook: 250 Activities to Do with (and Without!) Your Baby [Paperback]

Heather Gibbs Flett (Author), Whitney Moss (Author)

Book Description

Release date: February 1, 2008

Bookstores are full of activity books for babies and toddlers, but The Rookie Mom’s Handbook is the only one designed exclusively for first-time mothers. Here are 250 enjoyable activities to help rookie moms maintain their individuality and boost their confidence about leaving the house, socializing, and doing things they’ve always liked to do — either with or without baby.
 
Inspired by the popular blog www.rookiemoms.com, this handbook offers bite-sized activities organized according to the baby’s age. Some are crafty, some are adventurous, and some simply help get a meal on the table.
 
Full of lively advice and adorable illustrations, The Rookie Mom’s Handbook is the perfect reminder that there’s more to life than dirty diapers and 3 a.m. feedings!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Heather Gibbs Flett is a Web producer. She lives in Berkeley, California, with her husband, Alec, and two boys, Holden and Milo.Whitney Moss is a marketing professional. She lives in Berkeley, California, with her husband, Ryan, and two children, Julian and Scarlett. The Rookie Mom’s Handbook was inspired by a blog that Whitney and Heather started in 2005. Learn more at www.rookiemoms.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Quirk Books (February 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594742197
• ISBN-13: 978-1594742194
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.9 x 6.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,873 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #41 in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Family Activities
  • #73 in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Family Relationships > Motherhood

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Must have for any mom! July 22, 2008

By Sara Wright

Format:Paperback

I LOVE this book, I wish I had it when my first child was born. It is filled with creative and humorous ideas for enjoying the precious time you have with your baby, including tips on how to include your partner and other moms. It gave me inspiration and motivation to get out of the house and take my little ones with me! It does seem to be geared for stay-at-home moms, however, as a mom who works outside of the home, the activities can also be done in the evenings or on weekends.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Rookie Moms October 27, 2009

By Sarah O

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

The good: I really liked the outing suggestions. It's great to have a supportive source telling you to GET OUT OF THE HOUSE! This is great advice for new moms. The crafts are also wonderful.

The bad: While I love the blog that the authors of this book put out, the book itself falls flat. Some of the activities are meant to be lighthearted - but seemed to be about trying to pretend you aren't a parent now, and one activity I even felt was unsafe! Leaving your infant in the car for a nap while you sit outside nearby didn't seem like a great idea to me (from a big city)... There were a few too many 'grown up only' activities for me and I wanted to see more activities WITH my baby.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The shower gift i keep giving... June 21, 2008

By Karen Solomon

Format:Paperback

Thank GOD for this book; i got it at just the right time. Every new mom needs this to keep from going stir crazy, particularly in those first few months. With the billions of useful tips in these pages, a mother's frazzled brain is relieved of thinking of new ways to entertain herself and to introduce her baby to the world.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Baby Shower Gift April 28, 2008

By Erika Lenkert

Format:Paperback

This book offers fantastic ideas on what to do with your tot from the first month through the 12th. In between is a good amount of support, empathy, and wisdom that will inspire even the most shell-shocked mom to get off her (nursing) rocker and whoop it up new mommy style.

Activities range from creating a time capsule during month one (such a good idea!) to "getting all sexy" in month 12 (heck yeah!). And all of them promise a playful entree to motherhood. And who couldn't use that?

Get this for yourself-even if your baby is beyond the first year-or get it for every upcoming baby shower you'll attend-it's the ultimate gift that your pregnant pal actually needs and will use, even if she doesn't know it yet.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Gift For Mom April 10, 2008

By Darci Rosenblum

Format:Paperback

I found this book and thought it would be an excellent add-on to an already purchased baby shower gift. As I was flipping through it I realized that the activities were so much fun I decided to buy one for myself - I was always looking for things to do with my daughter. Now I pick it up at least once a week for ideas to help get me through the week. I've since bought copies for my friends about to have babies as well as for moms who are also looking for mommy and baby activities.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What a perfect gift for a new mom! April 4, 2008

By locoups

Format:Paperback

I always struggle trying to figure out what to give new moms that they don't already have (I love to give original gifts)...I bought this new book on a enthusiastic recommendation from a friend. Before I wrapped it up for my neighbor, I flipped through the book and got sucked into reading it...I sat on the couch with that book for longer than I care to admit. As a mom of two boys, there was definately some information about parenting a new baby I already knew, and LOTS a I wish some one had told me earlier! I laughed SO hard...

It can be a very isolating time to be away from your normal work/friends routine and at home with a needy being that you don't entirely understand. This book is not only filled with great suggestions, it's written in a very funny and familiar tone, and could serve as a welcome friend to a new mom. Not to mention that it's written in tiny digestible chapter chunks...which is all she'll have time for! This book starts where Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy leaves off. After I wrapped up the gift for my neighbor, I ordered a bunch more copies to have on hand for future moms!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Great for city-dwellers September 25, 2012

By EmmyL

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you live in the city or the suburbs, this book probably has a ton of great suggestions for you. However, if you live in the middle of nowhere and don't have access to malls or shops or anything besides a McDonald's, this book is not for you. I have to drive 30 miles to civilization, so I could use very few of the examples. That certainly doesn't make it badly written or lacking in good ideas, but it does have a more limited audience than I expected.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Just what this new mom needed March 7, 2011

By BreT

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I originally received this book as a gift a few days after the birth of my first child. I was suffering from a bad case of the baby blues and felt completely lost as a mother. I felt confined to my house, that no one understood me, and I struggled to figure out how to be both "me" and "mommy". Within just a few pages of reading this book, I was in tears, so thankful to learn that I was not alone. The author was funny, quirky, and completely spot on. I felt like she was talking directly to me. Simply knowing that there were other new moms out there going through the same thing that I was going through helped to lift me out of my funk.

So, when one of my best friends emailed me to talk about her baby blues and cabin fever, I immediately went online and ordered this book for her.