7 Best-Selling Baby Books, Distilled into 50 Words or Less

For: International fashionistas and the trendy Brooklyn set

The Takeaway: We’re all over-coddling and need to get our kids to bend to our lifestyle, rather than the other way around. Big no-no’s: Baby food, co-sleeping and leaving the house without makeup. The bit about holding men to different standards may raise your feminist red flag.

For: Former gender studies majors

The Takeaway: Consciously or not, we set our kids up to ascribe to gender norms, simply by the way we interact with them. (We count less with baby girls and don’t chat as much with baby boys.) The goal: Stop labeling interactions with gender (say “kids” instead of boys or girls) and watch your body language (no awkward looks when your son reaches for a doll).

For: Hippies, attachment parents, people who like walking around shirtless

The Takeaway: There is no “right” or “wrong” way to parent. That said, you'll probably want to get on board with co-sleeping, cloth diapers, baby carrying and a whole lotta breastfeeding. Otherwise, trust your gut without worrying about the “shoulds.”

For: Anyone who values sleep above all else, former military drill sergeants

The Takeaway: Yes, it may suck at first, but the best way to raise an excellent sleeper is to go all-in on the cry it out method and everything it entails. Establish a firm bedtime routine by six weeks, never rock an infant to sleep and learn to tolerate the sound of your baby’s 4 a.m. wails.

For: Parents who like guidelines but don't have the stomach for CIO. 

The Takeaway: Babies are deprived of a “fourth trimester,” which is why mom and dad need to recreate one in the first 100 days. How to do it? Rely on the five S’s (swaddling, side/stomach sleeping, loud shhh-ing, gentle swaying and sucking), while teaching infants to sleep by doing a modified, less screamy version of the cry-it-out method.

For: Parents who live and die by their Google calendars

The Takeaway: Your kid should be shaking a rattle at 11 weeks. Laughing by 13 weeks. And recognizing his face in a mirror by 18 weeks. He’s not? Don’t panic…it probably means a growth spurt or sleep regression. You’ll figure it out.

For: Any human having a baby

The Takeaway: Anything your kid does is normal. Seriously, it probably has its own section in the table of contents.