Aromatherapy For Your Child by Valerie Ann Worwood (Thorsons, £14.99) and Real Food For Your Baby by Catherine Atkinson (Foulsham, £3.99)

HERE'S two books from different publishers but both with the same aim in mind - caring for that new or nearly-new arrival.

One of the world's best-known authors and clinical aromatherapists looks at every aspect of the art in Aromatherapy For Your Child, a volume that contains an A to Z of conditions dealing with the treatment of children using essential oils.

These cover acne - newborn and teenage - to whooping cough, running across a variety of complaints that can be dealt with quickly and effectively using the book as a working manual.

Also included are useful recipes on how to make healing creams, lotions, body oils and room sprays. The author explains how aromatherapy can be used in conjunction with prescription medicine and stresses the value of massaging a child to encourage well-being and bonding.

Real Food For Baby is the ideal good food guide for all first-time parents and their babies. The reader will find plenty of sensible, down-to-earth advice to guide he or she through the first testing 12 months of life, from those trail-blazing spoonfuls to the point when the toddler can join in family meals.

Early impressions are lasting and that applies to first foods, too. By serving a wide range of fresh, homemade food, your baby will develop strong tastebuds and learn to appreciate the variety of textures that only real food offers.

Patience Mansell-Read