The Best Parenting Books

Here are some great books about general parenting advice and some that tackle specific areas. I invite you to read about successful methods to better shape your kids while helping you overcome the challenges that it presents. The titles below are considered to be the best of the best!

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success 

By Carol S. Dweck, Ph. D.

If YOU want to be a successful parent and you want to raise successful kids, then this book has EVERYTHING to do with parenting.

In this brilliant book, Dr. Dweck shows how success in almost every human endeavor (parenting included) can be dramatically influenced by how we think about our talents and abilities.

Your Two-Year-Old: terrible or Tender

By: Louise Bates Ames and Frances Lilian Ilg.

This book is part of a series of the best little books about child development. Drs. Ames and llg, recognized worldwide as authorities on child behavior and development, offer parents practical advice and enlightening psychological insights on children this age.

How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen so Kids Will Talk

By Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish

This bestselling classic includes fresh insights and suggestions as well as the author’s time-tested methods to solve common problems and build foundations for lasting relationships, including innovative ways to:

• Cope with your child’s negative feelings, such as frustration, anger, and disappointment
• Express your strong feelings without being hurtful
• Engage your child’s willing cooperation
• Set firm limits and maintain goodwill
• Use alternatives to punishment that promote self-discipline
• Understand the difference between helpful and unhelpful praise
• Resolve family conflicts peacefully

Filled with exact scripts and real-life examples, you’ll learn how to talk with your kids in a way that diffuses their anger and allows you to reconnect with their sweet, loving side.

No-Drama Discipline

By: Daniel J. Siegel & Tina Payne Bryson

The pioneering experts behind the bestselling The Whole-Brain Child – Tina Payne Bryson and Daniel J. Siegel, the New York Times bestselling author of Brainstorm – now explore the ultimate child-raising challenge: discipline. Highlighting the fascinating link between a child’s neurological development and the way a parent reacts to misbehavior, No-Drama Discipline provides an effective, compassionate road map for dealing with tantrums, tensions, and tears – without causing a scene.

All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern

By: Jennifer Senior

This book is a great answer to every time you’ve ever wondered, “Is it just me, or is being a parent bad in a very particular way right now?”

Positive Discipline: The Classic Guide to Helping Children Develop Self-Discipline, Responsibility, Cooperation, and Problem- Solving Skills.

By Jane Nelsen, Ed.D.

Jane Nelsen is the mother of  Positive Discipline – the books, training and methodology based on the work of Alfred Adler, MD.

Jane’s background as a psychologist, educator and mother of seven make her a trusted voice in parenting. In this book (and in all the books authored and co-authored by Jane) she shares practical strategies to help parents and teachers be both kind and firm, loving and consistent.

The key to Positive Discipline is not punishment, she tells us, but mutual respect. Jane will teach you strategies to get compliance from your children while still saving their dignity.

The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind

By Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. and Tina Payne Bryson, M.D.

In this pioneering, practical book, Daniel J. Siegel, neuropsychiatrist and author of the bestselling Mindsight, and parenting expert Tina Payne Bryson offer a revolutionary approach to child rearing with twelve key strategies that foster healthy brain development, leading to calmer, happier children. The authors explain—and make accessible—the new science of how a child’s brain is wired and how it matures. The “upstairs brain,” which makes decisions and balances emotions, is under construction until the mid-twenties. And especially in young children, the right brain and its emotions tend to rule over the logic of the left brain.

The Conscious Parent: Transforming Ourselves, Empowering our Children

By: Dr. Shefali Tsabary

In this book, Dr. Tsabary helps parents get in tune with their own psychological and emotional awareness. By encouraging parents to look in the mirror, Tsabary helps parents understand why it’s important to be conscious of our own histories in order to pass along a positive wholeness to our children.

Siblings Without Rivalry: How to Help Your Children Live Together So You Can Live Too.

By Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish.

This book offers practical strategies to improve cooperation among your children and reduce feelings of competition – all while helping your children connect to build lifelong friendships.

The “Me, Me, Me” Epidemic: A Step-by-Step Guide to Raising Capable, Grateful Kids in an Over- Entitled World.

By: Amy McCready

In this book, I outline the step-by-step strategies for empowering your kids without indulging them. Fueling their spirit – not just funding their wish-lists. Building bonds that can last a lifetime. Fostering compassion for others, rather than focusing on themselves. And parenting in powerfully positive, proactive, life-changing ways.

The 5 Love Languages of Children

By: Gary Chapman & Ross Campbell

You know you love your child. But how can you make sure your child knows it?

Discover how to speak your child’s love language in a way that he or she understands.

In this book for parents, teachers, single parents, and more, Drs. Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell offer practical advice for how to:

•         Discover and speak your child’s love language – in dozens of ways!
•         Use the love languages to help your child learn best
•         Discipline and correct more lovingly and effectively

Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids.

By: Dr. Laura Markham

Based on the last research on brain development and extensive clinical experience.  This remarkable guide will help parents better understand their own emotions – and get them in check – so they can parent with healthy limits, empathy, and clear communication to raise a self-disciplined child. Step-by-step examples give solutions and kid-tested phrasing for parents of toddlers right through the elementary years.

Self-Care for Moms: 150 Real Ways to Care for Yourself While Caring for Everyone Else

By: Sara Robinson, Joy Osmanski

In this book, you’ll find 150 realistic self-care activities you can try right away. To help busy moms like you maximize any moment you can find for yourself, each activity is designed to fit easily within a set short time frame. For example:

•         Five minutes: call a friend; listen to a favorite song; light a candle
•         Fifteen minutes: soak your feet; read a chapter in a book; enjoy a leisurely cup of tea
•         Thirty minutes: give yourself a facial; plan for a vacation; go for a walk
•         One hour: meet a friend for lunch; go for a manicure; attend a workout class

You’ll also find ideas for activities that span larger amounts of time for inspiration and motivation to take some much-needed and well-earned extra time for yourself. There’s even a few aspirational activities, such as trips or projects, that last a day – or more – with a realistic plan for how to organize and coordinate your schedule to accommodate the occasional – but very important – extended time to focus on yourself.