Have you ever wished there was an “operation manual” for parenting? Maybe you feel clueless about how to help your infant sleep through the night? Or you don’t know how to start potty training your toddler? Maybe you have a child who’s displaying behavior problems and you don’t know what to do to get through to them?
You can trust mommy bloggers on the internet or take advice from your parents or friends, but have you ever wondered if there is a better way to receive parenting guidance?
There might not be an operation manual for how to raise children, but there are a ton of helpful parenting books. Many of these books are written by parents who’ve studied either child development or psychology in school. So these authors have real life parenting experience, plus years of research in parenting methods and techniques.
Here are five of the best parenting books I’ve come across:
“The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems.” by Tracy Hogg
First, let’s begin with the newborn stage. I read this book while I was pregnant and it gave me the confidence to know what to do to help get my newborn on a healthy routine. Which helped make our days more predictable and enjoyable.
“With this book you too can take advantage of the advice, insights, and parenting techniques from beloved child expert Tracy Hogg. “A problem is nothing more than a situation calling for a creative solution,” she reminds us. “Ask the right questions and you’ll come up with the right answers.”
“Oh Crap! Potty Training. Everything Modern Parents Need to Know to Do It Once and Do It Right.” by Jamie Glowacki
“Worried about potty training? Jamie Glowacki, potty-training expert, can show you how it’s done. Her 6-step, proven process to get your toddler out of diapers and onto the toilet has already worked for tens of thousands of kids and their parents.”
I had no idea how to potty train a toddler, but I felt like my son was ready. We followed Jamie’s 6-step process and we were able potty train our son a month after he turned two years old.
“Parenting with Love & Logic.” by Foster Cline, M.D. & Jim Fay
No parenting book list would be complete without this one in it. “This book shows you how to raise self-confident, motivated children who are ready for the real world. Learn how to parent effectively while teaching your children responsibility and growing their character. Establish healthy control through easy-to-implement steps without anger, threats, nagging, or power struggles.”
“Parenting a Strong Willed Child.” by Rex Forehand, Ph.D. and Nicholas Long Ph.D
“Dr. Forehand and Dr. Long have helped thousands of parents achieve discipline using positive reinforcement, without yelling or harming the child’s self-esteem.” Topics reviewed in this book include: Integrating Your Parenting Skills; Creating a Positive Climate for Behavior Change; Creating a More Positive Home; Improving Your Communication Skills and more.
“How to Talk So Kids Will Listen, and Listen so Kids Will Talk.” by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
Their method is supportive, friendly, and best of all, effective. It offers innovative ways to solve such common problems as: Listening to -and understanding – your child’s concerns. Having cooperation in your family, without nagging. How you and your child can deal with feelings. And helping your child attain a positive self-image.
My favorite quote from this book is:
“The more you try to push a child’s unhappy feelings away, the more he becomes stuck in them. The more comfortablely you can accept the bad feelings, the easier it is for kids to let go of them. I guess you could say that if you want to have a happy family, you’d better be prepared to permit the expression of a lot of unhappiness.”
If you’re feeling overwhelmed with a certain aspect of parenting or with behavior problems, I hope this list gives you the encouragement to look for solutions that have been proven to have a positive impact on kids and their parents.
What other books would you add to the list?
