Hello All, It’s Sasha!
There is an endless sea of parenting books available on the market today, with more coming all the time. They handle topics from every imaginable corner of the parenting world. I know first hand the feeling of overwhelm that comes from finding and choosing the right parenting book for your situation. I hope this evaluation can help you find the answers you’re looking for without having to spend too much time weighing your options. Of all of the parenting books I’ve read on my journey through motherhood, these books have helped me the most — or are the one’s I wish I had known about in a time of need.
Child Rearing
The Baby Book
by William and Martha Sears
The Baby Book really earns it’s name. The Sears give you everything you need for those first few years from birth onward, from diapers to bonding. With eight kids worth of experience, you can count on getting every bit of your money and times worth.
1-2-3 Magic: Effective Disciplining for Children 2-12
By Thomas W. Phelan
1-2-3 Magic handles a tough topic well. No one wants to have to discipline their child, but Phelan’s book offers compassionate, loving and modern-minded ways of dealing with troublesome behavior.
Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier and More Secure Kids
by Kim Brooking-Payne and Lisa M. Ross
Our world is becoming too complicated for plenty of adults, it’s a wonder any kids (or their parents) make sense of it. If you are feeling overwhelmed by options and too many techniques in this growing life, Simplicity Parenting can help you navigate the modern parenting landscape with ease.
Parenting With Love & Logic
By Foster W. Cline
Cline’s book is a guide to teaching your children how to treat themselves with respect and be self-confident and motivated adults. If you are concerned about deeper issues that could present in your child’s journey to adulthood, look no further than Parenting With Love & Logic.
No-Drama Discipline: The Whole-Brain Way to Calm the Chaos and Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind
By Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson
These doctors have teamed up to write a discipline guide for parents that focuses on how your child’s brain develops through discipline, adversity and every day obstacles. The goal of the book is to offer parents an evidence-based, logical and compassionate guidebook for optimal growth.
Raising Your Spirited Child: A Guide for Parents Whose Child Is More Intense, Sensitive, Persistent, and Energetic
By Mary Sheedy Kurcinka
Raising Your Spirited Child saved my life when it came to our youngest child, Richard! If you’ve ever found yourself wondering just what your kid was thinking, this book is for you. It focuses on anecdotes and personal strategies for coping with the most rambunctious of children.
Siblings Without Rivalry
By Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish
If you or your partner had trouble with your siblings or you’re afraid your children might be starting to get into conflicts regularly, Adele Faber’s Siblings Without Rivalry could be of help. Insightful and powerful, this book can help you get your children to forge one of the most important relationships in their life, one they can depend on no matter what happens.
How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success
By Julie Lythecott-Holmes
In How to Raise an Adult, the author tries to find out how overparenting negatively impacts children and their communities. The focus of the book is on raising a self-reliant child who is prepared to enter the workforce and thrive.
Parenting Improvement
How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk
by Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish
Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish are multiple best-selling authors in the genre, and How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & So Kids Will Talk is no disappointment. It is a treasure trove of tips and tricks for communicating with your children that dares to go deeper. If you often find yourself and your children regretting what you’ve said or wondering how you could have done things differently, this book is for you.
Unconditional Parenting
By Alfie Kohn
Alfie Kohn’s Unconditional Parenting is a visionary approach to the parent-child relationship. In it Alfie asks “What is it that Children really need from their parents to thrive and how can we best provide for those needs?”. What follows that question is a unique and groundbreaking exploration of parenting and how we can make the most of it as parents.
Parenting From the Inside Out: How a Deeper Self-Understanding Can Help You Raise Children Who Thrive:
By Daniel J. Siegel
A more philosophical read than my other suggestions, Parenting From the Inside Out looks at how people become parents and how our childhood affects our parenting style. Looking at cutting edge neuroscientific research, it examines how our relationships affect our brain development in our childhood and onward. The belief is that by focusing on knowing yourself and your story, you can build the strength and knowledge required to be the best parent you can be.
The Conscious Parent: Transforming Ourselves, Empowering Our Children
By Shefali Tsabary
In The Conscious Parent Tsabary explores mindfulness and the importance of respecting both you and your child’s unique individuality. By releasing our past burdens we move them out of the way of our own explorations and recollections of emotion and the struggles of youth, allowing us to lead a more fulfilling and effective relationship with our children.
Boosting Your Child’s Brain
The Whole Brain-Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind
by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson
This book examines how your child’s brain receives the world and matures over time with it’s environment. By knowing how the different aspects of your child’s brain mature and develop at different rates you can identify these changes as they happen, empowering you to make the right choices for their developing brain. A well matured brain is a well matured adult.
Brain Rules for Baby: How to Raise a Smart and Happy Child from Zero to Five
By John Medina
Brain Rules covers everything there is to know about your child’s developing brain and the mind it powers. From what to do during pregnancy, to the effects of television and healthy attitudes towards unhealthy behavior, this book is an invaluable resource for new parents looking to help their child be the smartest they can be.
