I love books. My friends and advisors keep telling me that I should pare this list of parenting books down to half a dozen or so. But I can’t do it. These books are my friends; I have enjoyed my time with them and they have given me gifts beyond measure. Still, in the interest of making this catalogue of resources most useful, I have picked a few authors to put at the top of the list.

Webster-Stratton, Carolyn.  2005. The Incredible Years:  A Trouble-Shooting Guide for Parents of Children Aged 2 – 8 Years. Seattle, WA: Incredible Years.

Carolyn first published The Incredible Years in 1992 and revised and updated it in 2005. It is my favorite overall guide for parents of children from two to eight. Carolyn’s style is gentle and practical, and her approach to common parenting issues is both thorough and very usable. At the same time, I appreciate the fact that everything in the book is based on the best and most current research in the field.

Mazlish, Elaine and Faber, Adele. 1980. How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk.  New York, NY: Perennial Currents.

This classic is still going strong after over 25 years. Eminently practical, easy to read and easy to apply, How to Talk… was my husband’s Parenting 101 text when our daughter was a toddler.

Kabat-Zinn, Jon and Kabat-Zinn, Myla. 1997. Everyday Blessings.  New York, NY: Hyperion.

Jon Kabat-Zinn is executive director of the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. Together with his wife Myla, he has raised three children and written a wonderful book that captures the spiritual dimension of parenting in a way that is accessible, inspiring and easy to apply to your everyday life.

Brazelton, T. Berry. Wonderful parenting books on almost every topic.

Berry Brazelton has been guiding parents and inspiring pediatricians since before most of today’s parents were born. An associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and chief of the Child Development Center at Boston Children’s Hospital, Dr. Brazelton is a leading authority on child development. His early work on infant development changed the way the medical establishment viewed infants, demonstrating that infants have much deeper levels of awareness and are much more interactive with their environment than the pediatric community had previously understood. All his books are easy to read, and you can choose from the list below based on the subject you are most interested in.

ANGER AND AGRESSION

Mastering Anger and Aggression: The Brazelton Way. Brazelton, T. B. & Sparrow, Joshua D. 2005. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Books.

ATTACHMENT

The Earliest Relationship: Parents, Infants, and the Drama of Attachment.  Brazelton, T. Berry & Cramer, Bertrand G. 2000. New York, NY: Perseus Publishing.

The Attachment Parenting Book: A Commonsense Guide to Understanding and Nurturing Your Baby. Sears, William & Sears, Martha. 2001.  New York,  NY: Little, Brown, and Company.

CHILD DEVELOPMENT

Toddlers and Parents:  A Declaration of Growing Up.  Brazelton, T. Berry. 1974. New York, NY: Dell Publishing.

The Yale Child Study Center Guide to Understanding Your Child. Mayes, Linda C., & Cohen, Donald J.  2002. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

To Listen to a Child: Understanding the Normal Problems of Growing Up. Brazelton, T. Berry. 1984. New York, NY: Perseus Publishing.

Raising Resilient Children. Brooks, Robert & Goldstein, Sam. 2001. New York, NY: Contemporary Books.

Raising An Emotionally Intelligent Child: The Heart of Parenting. Gottman, John. 1997. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks.

DISCIPLINE

Discipline: The Brazelton Way. Brazelton, T. Berry. & Sparrow, Joshua D. 2004. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Books.

EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL DEVELOPMENT

Touchpoints: Your Child's Emotional and Behavioral Development. Brazelton, T. Berry & Sparrow, Joshua. 1992. New York, NY: Da Capo Press.

Touchpoints Three to Six: Your Child’s Emotional and Behavioral Development. Brazelton, T. Berry & Sparrow, Joshua. 2001. New York, NY: Da Capo Press.

FEEDING

Feeding: The Brazelton Way. Brazelton, T. B. & Sparrow, Joshua D. 2004. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Books. 

FUSSY BABY

Calming Your Fussy Baby: The Brazelton Way. Brazelton, T. B. & Sparrow, Joshua D. 2003. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Books.

Parenting the Fussy Baby and High-Need Child: Everything You Need to Know – From Birth to Age Five. Sears, William & Sears, Martha. 1996. New York, N.Y.: Little, Brown, and Company.

SIBLING RIVALRY

Understanding Sibling Rivalry: The Brazelton Way. Brazelton, T. B. & Sparrow, Joshua D. 2005. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Books.

SLEEP

Sleep: The Brazelton Way. Brazelton, T. B. & Sparrow, Joshua D. 2003. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Books.

American Academy of Pediatrics Guide to Your Child’s Sleep: Birth Through Adolescence. Cohen, George J. (Ed.) 1999. New York: NY: D.S.H. Publishing.

Nighttime Parenting: How to Get Your Baby and Child to Sleep. Sears, William.1999. New York, NY: Penguin Group.

TEMPERAMENT

The Challenging Child. Greenspan, Stanley I. 1995. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Books.

Raising Your Spirited Child. Kurcinka, Mary Sheedy. 1998. New York, NY: Harper Perennial.

Raising Your Spirited Child:  Workbook.  Kurcinka, Mary Sheedy. 1998. New York, NY: Harper Perennial.

TOILET TRAINING

Toilet Training: The Brazelton Way. Brazelton, T. B. & Sparrow, Joshua D. 2004. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Books.