Recommended Montessori and Non-Montessori Infant Books!
 

Active Learning for Infants (Addison-Wesley Active Learning Series)
by Debby Cryer, Thelma Harms, Beth Bourland

"Over 300 innovative and easy-to-do activities!"

"As a care provider for infants and a parent of an infant, I have used this book again and again! The activities are simple and developmentally appropriate. It is so helpful to have a resource like this on those days when you just can't think of anything different to do! The developmental charts are extremely helpful. I often reference this book when conducting workshops for infant care providers. The entire 'active learning series' is a must have for my program! I lend my book out so frequently, that I may need a second for myself!" (Amazon.com customer review.)

Child's Play, Montessori Games and Activities for Your Baby and Toddler
by Maja Pitamic

"For children, playing is learning, and this appealing book is filled with more than 60 Montessori-inspired play-and-learn ideas that parents and kids can enjoy together. The games are arranged progressively, starting with simple games for infants and advancing to games and activities suitable for active toddlers. Each game description includes instructions for play, items and materials needed, and suggested related play activities for parents and their toddlers."

"Being a new mom of a toddler I really needed help with activities for my son. This book is great. The information and charts are a great way to keep take of my son's development. A must for new moms." (Amazon.com customer review.)

"This is one of the best books that I have found for infants and toddlers. I really like the way that they not only break down the ages but also the developmental areas. The book makes it very easy to make lesson plans but it also makes it easy to pick out activties to do with your young child. These authors have done a wonderful job with this book and also the Creavtive Resources book for 3-5 year olds. I had the 3-5 year version along with others resource books that were made available to my teachers in a child care setting to use for making lesson plans and Creative Resources was the one that was used most often." (Amazon.com customer review.)

"The psychic life in the new-born has already aroused great interest. The conclusion of research is that the first two years of life are the most important. So here begins a new path, wherein it will not be the professor [the teacher] who teaches the child but the child who teaches the professor [the teacher]."--Nienhuis Books & Publications 

"At less than 100 pages, this book is easy to take in, while still containing fundamental principles of Montessori's theory of education, especially as relevant to 3- to 6-year-olds. The writing is engaging, not academic. I can easily recommend it to be the first or only book by Dr. Montessori for the parent of a toddler to read."--Reviewer: Brad S. Williams (Portland, OR USA) 
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Publisher: Theosophical Publishing House; (June 1974); hardcover edition buy used

"I always thought playing Mozart to kids to make them smart sounded fishy. What does an infant have it to compare to? To them Mozart is no different than Metallica. Sure, they respond to music, but the type is nearly irrelevant. Also, the array of electronic gadgets and learning systems often ignore the basic ways infants learn. Some of those things have their place, but at later ages. Don't get caught up in the deceptive marketing and money pits. Often it's simple toys and interaction that work." (Amazon.com customer review.)

"This does say "For teachers, by teachers" on the cover so it isn't surprising most of the ideas are more suited for classroom settings. If you like to have a lot of resources as a parent, it's nice. For a teacher, it would be more useful." (Amazon.com customer review.)

"I bought this as a companion to The Creative Curriculum for Infants, Toddlers, and Two. I found everything in the book useful! I have taught a preschool class and since then worked in a home daycare for the past 2 years. The projects are easy to do, yet interesting and fun!"  (Amazon.com customer review.)

The First Twelve Months of Life: Your Baby's Growth Month by Month
by Frank Caplan

"For over twenty years this has helped parents understand their new babies: enjoy an updated classic which has been newly revised with the latest research for new parents, documenting a baby's first 12 months of changes and including monthly growth charts, answers to common concerns, and overviews of what to anticipate in a baby's life." -- Midwest Book Review 

"I can't recommend this book enough to all new moms (and older ones too). It is truly one of the best books, if not THE best, out there to help moms ENJOY those early years of mothering. 

"My advice? Buy at least 5 copies. One for yourself and four more to give out at Baby Showers." (Amazon.com customer review.)

"I loved this book! If I had the money I would buy one for every mom I know! The author had so many great ideas about being a parent and how to raise your children in a way that will encourage them to be all that God has for them. I felt very inspired after reading this to try to be more patient and enjoy every minute with my daughter, even when she insists on doing things her way :). I have started modifying things around the house so she can do things more independently and she really does beam when she accomplishes a new task. I encourage you to get a copy of this book and start trying some of the suggestions! I'm already looking forward to rereading this again." (Amazon.com customer review.)

"Beginning with your home setup for your newborn, this album takes you through infancy to young toddlerhood with educational and developmental work that will provide a wonderful platform for your infant's growth and development."

This book has had some mixed reviews. I still recommend it, however: there are some "nuggets" in it, but some of it is outdated (like, allowing an infant to "cry it out"). The book reads like a Montessori infant training program manual and I am guessing that is what she based it on, her infant Montessori training from twenty or thirty years ago.

My Montessori (infant) philosophy is more progressive and I am less rigid--you will know what I mean after reading the book (and or some of the reviews on Amazon.com!).

As a footnote, my mother-in-law is 65 and my how things  have changed in terms of how you take care of an infant today versus 35 years ago! My mother-in-law and I often "compare notes" when taking care of my son. That is what it is like to read Lillard's book! Things our parents did 35 years ago we just don't do today! (I'm lucky my mother-in-law is "nice" about it, and good humored!) So you may have this experience with your own parents or in-laws, ESPECIALLY if you are doing it "Montessori" style--in the end, you THE MOM (and dad) are in charge! --Lisa Nolan Montessori

From the Back Cover
“A major and timely contribution to the early childhood years—anecdotal, rich in insight and experience, practical and useful. This informed, careful, and intelligent response to the unfolding of personality will peak parents’ interest as they learn how to establish healthy, enjoyable, and sustaining relationships with their children. A must for parents-to-be, nannies, and care-givers.” —Virginia McHugh Goodwin, Executive Director, Association Montessori International, U.S.A. 

About the Author
"Paula Polk Lillard and her daughter, Lynn Lillard Jessen, co-founded the Forest Bluff School in Lake Bluff, Illinois, a Montessori school for children through the eighth grade. Paula is the principal of the school, and she and Lynn teach the parent child course, a workshop for parents on the Montessori approach for children from birth to age three. They live in Lake Forest, Illinois." More...

From Booklist
"Crain, a developmental psychologist, laments the ceaseless schedule of activities for most American children that leaves them little time and energy for the typical childhood pursuits of a less restless and ambitious age. Crain worries that by focusing so much on preparing children for a competitive future, we are stunting their growth and neglecting their here-and-now needs and desires. He specifically examines current trends, from emphasis on standardized tests to the birth-to-three early-development movement, and contrasts them with the child-centered philosophies of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, John Dewey, Maria Montessori, Jean Piaget, and David Elkind. He advocates a more natural learning rhythm and an environment that takes advantage of children's own natural curiosity, with adults providing an "unobtrusive presence." Crain offers advice, based on research and interviews with parents and children, on how parents and educators can provide a more child-centered model for education that takes cues from the children themselves and respects their efforts to learn on their own. A thoughtful and valuable resource for parents and teachers looking for alternative approaches to education."-- Vanessa Bush

"[This book...] made me recall the year I spent conducting research in preschool classrooms. I visited many wonderful preschools, but I remember being particularly struck by the atmosphere in the Montessori classroom I visited. There was a sense of calm there that I have never seen anywhere else. At first it seemed eerie; surely these kids were being coerced into behaving so quietly and going about their business in such an orderly graceful way. I remember in particular the child who was bringing around a tray of nuts that he had shelled and offering them graciously to the other children. But the longer I stayed, the more I realized that this deep sense of peacefulness originated from the kids' satisfaction in being allowed to choose their own tasks at their own pace." (Amazon.com customer review.) More...

"This book, along with the authors' book The First Twelve Months of Life, are my two favorite books on infant development. It explains how babies perceive the world and how they progress in their development, month by month. These books helped me when my own kids were babies and they're the books that I give as gifts to new parents."--Amazon.com reviewer

"This is an extrememly concise, but informative and entertaining video about how crucial it is that early on children get interaction with adults that can aid their brain development."--Amazon.com reviewer

"Truly amazing information. Forget all the fancy toys and games for our babies and children. Let's give them what they really need. This DVD explains child development in easy to understand terms."--Amazon.com reviewer