One of the most overwhelming things about having a baby is a fear of the unknown. Thankfully, Harden's London Baby Book offers an essential resource guide that can help even the most angst-ridden mum or mum-to-be get a handle on things

One immediate perk: the book's meticulous organisation, which includes subsections within each chapter that help you pinpoint a subject you're interested in and turn right to the relevant page - a real time-saver if you're caring for a little one or are exhausted from the trials of pregnancy.

London living
The guide specifically caters to those living in London, offering two main comprehensive sections on Preparing for Birth and Parenting Basics, followed by a Consumer Guide that can help you hunt down everything from maternity clothing and baby videos, toys and books to baby-friendly restaurants in your area.

The book's Databank includes a thorough contact list of organisations that specialise in a wide variety of areas from complementary medicine to one-parent family support groups.

The useful bits
Some of the guide's most helpful sections include: Where to have the baby (NHS vs. private healthcare), maternal and foetal tests, antenatal classes, a solid food guide and travel tips. Besides providing excellent stockists and resource listings, this book succeeds where other baby books fail: it gives results of extensive research behind subjects that drive some parents mad, such as demystifying the ludicrous wheeled transport options with a quick summary of what's available and offering the pros and cons of each.

Other helpful topics include what to look for in a school, basic finances involved in raising a child and what you'll need to save for, plus useful suggestions on playgroups and classes by area.

No preaching
Although the London Baby Book is a tome of information, what you won't find is advice or strong opinions about major issues in pregnancy and child rearing. However, you'll get a good overview of each side of a particular debate (for example, breast- vs. bottle-feeding or whether babies should sleep alone or with their parents) so you can make an informed decision about what's right for you.

Besides a few typos (Triyoga, not Try yoga) and the shameless plug for Spa mineral water at the front, there's not much lacking in this guide that's soon to be a fixture on every London mum's bookshelf.

Harden's London Baby Book 2002/3 by Kate Calvert (£12.99)

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