"Baby’s First Year of Life: Real Advice. No Sugarcoating." offers a practical and candid guide for parents navigating their baby's first year. Authored by me, Emma Markey, a stay-at-home mum to two young girls and a former social worker, the book draws on my personal journey, including managing Type 1 Diabetes through pregnancy, which taught me the importance of balancing chaos with structure and adapting to life's curveballs.

I wrote this book to be the straightforward, practical resource I wish I had as a new mum, as I often found existing advice vague and lacking clear instruction on how to implement essential routines like sleep and feeding.

The core of my approach is built on consistency and long-term structure, advocating for the early introduction of routines, some as early as six weeks, to foster predictability and calm for both baby and parents. The book simplifies the first year of motherhood, covering:

• Preparation: Essential equipment and often-overlooked hacks, like the "cabbage hack" for postpartum recovery.

• Feeding: Practical guidance on bottle-feeding, winding techniques, and a detailed approach to weaning (including Spoon-Feeding and Baby-Led Weaning) with crucial safety advice.

• Sleep: Strategies for establishing consistent sleep and nap routines from six weeks, teaching babies to differentiate day from night, and techniques for self-settling, based on research highlighting sleep's importance for development.

• Milestones: A month-by-month breakdown of developmental milestones, from early communication and tummy time to crawling and first steps, along with tips to support learning.

• General Tips: Practical hacks for daily tasks, managing overstimulation, and encouraging independent floor time to support physical and cognitive development.

• Timeline Breakdown: A comprehensive chronological guide (0-6 weeks, 6-12 weeks, 3-6 months, 6-9 months, 9-12 months) explaining how to implement and adapt feeding, sleep, and developmental support through each stage.

"Baby’s First Year of Life" aims to empower parents to find their own path with more confidence and less stress, encouraging them to trust their intuition and navigate early motherhood with practical insights.