Which books do I routinely recommend to my patient families? Here are my most recommended parenting books that I have read/loved/tried to implement with my own family:
For Expecting Parents/Parents of Newborns:
The Happiest Baby on the Block, Harvey Karp, M.D. Written by well-respected pediatrician Dr. Harvey Karp, this book explains the fussy period and how to survive it. This is highly recommended for expecting parents.
For Parents of Toddlers/School Age Kids:
1,2,3 Magic, Thomas Phelan. This is my go-to behavior/discipline book. It’s a quick read and easy to implement…even when your toddler has worn you down. I re-read it every few months to remind myself of the details; when done correctly, this method works and reduces frequency of resorting to yelling.
Parenting with Love and Logic, Foster Kline, M.D. and Jim Fay. More help with behavior. This is excellent for help with behavior for older toddlers/school-age children. It covers ways to empower your child to feel more in control as well as consequences that are effective and make sense.
For Everyone:
The Gifts of Imperfect Parenting, Brene Brown, PhD. This is an audiobook narrated by one of my most favorite authors. It provides research-based guidance on creating whole-hearted families. If you love this, also look for her netflix special.
Bringing Up Bebe, Pamela Druckerman. Ms. Druckerman lived in France and marveled at the differences in the ways the French parent; many of her findings seem like common sense, but they aren’t always second nature to us Americans. An excellent read that taught me a lot and made me think.
*This page contains affiliate links. I make a small percentage of each sale at no extra cost to you. I would never recommend products I haven’t used or found to be useful or products that are not in support of AAP-recommended safety guidelines.
