Creators & Literature Faves

Creators

• @sophiebrissman on Instagram and TikTok is ridiculously funny. She is an authentic mother who posts content ft. her kiddos and husband as they navigate life at their farmhouse! Her content is really relatable, heartwarming, and really sweet.

• @realmainemomguide on Instagram posts amazing kid-friendly event lists in the Greater Portland Area

• @thesurraarielle on Instagram posts really hilarious, educational, and relatable nanny content

• @downtobirthshow on Instagram is one of my favorites! I love their podcast so much (go check out my fave podcasts page!) and they post really amazing birth education content on their Instagram as well!

• @the.modern.nanny on Instagram (Sarah) posts great nanny content, but also conducts the nanny census report and is such a great resource to our community!

• @mindful_madre on Instagram (Emily) posts really great content, reminding us all to slow down and be gentle with ourselves as we navigate raising little people!

• @janetlansbury on Instagram... if Janet’s voice doesn’t immediately make you feel calm, soothed, and grounded, I would be astonished! Janet has published multiple books and has a podcast called Unruffled, where she helps families with all things parenting!

• @alexhazen on Instagram and TikTok is just one of my favorite comfort creators! She inspires me to love my village deeper and give more!

• @jerricasannes on Instagram is an advocate for screen-free and play-focused childhood. Both of these really resonate with my personal beliefs around child-rearing, but Jerrica offers evidence-based information and tips in a wonderful and non-judgmental way so families can be more equipped to make their own parenting choices! 

• @letstalkbabywearing on Instagram is amazing for her tips and videos showing parents how to correctly and safely use baby carriers! Her videos are so great because there are just SO many different types of carriers out there and she covers a lot of ground in her videos!

• @anannyslife on Instagram is personally one of my favorite creators. Amber is so authentic and is such a great leader and educator in our community. 

Literature

• “Hunt, Gather, Parent” by Michaeleen Doucleff, will always be one of my FAVORITE and first recommendations in regards to parenting books. Doucleff blew my mind with her exploration of parenting in other cultures and reporting of the lessons that she learned. I’ve read this book multiple times now, and I’ll likely read it again and again. 

• “Good Inside” by Dr. Becky Kennedy made me feel ready to be at the helm of a ship that sometimes felt like it was about to hit the ocean floor. Her tips on containing meltdowns and becoming a sturdy and confident pilot felt really empowering. 

• “Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth” and “Ina May’s Guide to Breastfeeding” by Ina May Gaskin are a few of the highly recommended books from pretty much any birth podcast I have ever listened to. I had to pick up a copy of each for myself! As a crunchy person myself, I really enjoyed reading both books. Ina May was not a person with medical training before journeying into midwifery, so I think that her perspective and advice are really interesting. With any book, however, I think that the information is powerful, but further research and multiple sources is best before taking any singular advice. 

• “Cribsheet” by Emily Oster was a great read. It was really wonderful as Oster provides data-driven information solely to give parents the information and evidence to make decisions that are best for their child and family.

• “No Bad Kids” and “Elevating Child Care” by Janet Lansbury promote seeing your children or children you work with as whole, individual, and complete people. If you have ever done any research on respectful caregiving, Lansbury educates on those principles in terms of real-life scenarios.

• “The Danish Way of Parenting” by Jessica Joelle Alexander and Iben Dissing Sandahl offers such great insight into Danish parenting styles and the very different cultural approach! Can you tell I love the multicultural education and approach to child-rearing yet? I learned so much from this book and genuinely can’t recommend it enough to other parents. 

Note: I really believe that the only way to find what resonates with you and what works for your family is to read (or listen... hi audiobooks!) a variety of different approaches, styles, and philospohies when it comes to bringing up little people! As long as you lead with love, I’m sure you’ll do great.