Her last novel, MAGPIE LANE, a literary mystery set in an Oxford College, was chosen as a Book of the Year by the Guardian, The Telegraph, Good Housekeeping magazine and Radio 4's Open Book.

In particular I found the first couple of chapters, about looking after a newborn, very useful and reassuring, since I was clueless.For more details, please consult the latest information provided by Royal Mail's International Incident Bulletin. The First-Time Parent is on your side, and reassures that you can cope brilliantly with your new baby and your new life.

Forget unrealistic childcare manuals—this is the book new parents will really need to help cope brilliantly with the first chaotic days and months.As a health journalist and mother-of-three, Lucy Atkins is familiar with both the medical aspects of childbirth and baby development, and the reality of day-to-day life as an exhausted first-time mum or dad. It also has so much information for mothers, yet there are only tiny sections for fathers thrown in. In her feisty, humorous style, she begins with that first mind-blowing day and addresses the issues unique to the first-time parent who stares at their newborn and thinks “Where are the instructions? I began to read this in the last month of pregnancy as everything has suddenly become real and I realised I had NO CLUE what I was gonna do when my little person arrives.

Lucy's third novel The Night Visitor, has been optioned for television, Her new novel, Windmill Hill has been described as 'a triumph' by Philip Pullman. Easy to read and understand, it has a relaxed tone throughout and helps the reader to feel simultaneously well-informed and less overwhelmed. Lucy has been a first-time parent - as well as a second- and third-time one - and currently lives with her family in Boston, USA. Baby Food Matters: What science says about how to give your child healthy eating habits for life by Dr Clare Llewellyn, Dr Hayley Syrad.These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. i also like that it covers the growing/developing stage by trimester rather than week by week or month by month which prevents you from comparing your baby to average and statistics and let it grow/develop at it's own pace. Powdered formula is not sterile so 70°C water from the kettle needs to be added to it, not "cooled boiled water from kettle" and then warmed to body temperature. The edition I read it also very outdated (always refers to the partner as a “he” and assumes there is a partner) and has some incorrect information (such as old NHS guidelines). Easy to read, like the realistic style and approach to 1st year of parenthood, lots of useful information and tips without getting too detailed but with lots of resources if you want to i.

also it promotes a more relaxed and fun, for babies and parents, play-time approach rather than intellectual/over-stimulating one. This guide also includes information on single parenting, and on adopted, multiple and special needs babies. I read most of it and found the down to earth common sense advice and insight useful to a fist time mum. Reading this I was able to find areas I wanted to delve into deeper which is why I feel that this is a great starting point for people to find areas they want to know more about. Contents the equipment and kit new parents really need, how to cope with the first few hours, coming home, bonding, how to survive the first few days, and sleeping.For me I found that this was sufficient in breast feeding and sleeping, but I wanted to read more on child-led weaning which it recommended). I'm unsure why mothers should read the entire book while fathers only read the snippets for them at the end of chapters. It’s a shame the author keeps switching referring to the baby as either “she” or “he” instead of just sticking to they/them. In a humorous style, the book begins with that first mind-blowing day and addresses the issues unique to the first-time parent who stares at their newborn and thinks Where are the instructions?