Parenting toddlers can be a draining task if not handled with the skills it needs. After going through numerous toddler parenting books, I settled upon two specific reads which are invaluable.
Our Top Toddler Parenting Books
-
The Discipline Book: How to have a Better- Behaved Child From Birth to Age Ten
This book provides an interesting guide on how to raise a happy child who is also well behaved. Most times it is hard for parents to strike a balance between the two. The book draws immensely from the extensive knowledge of the author, Dr. Sears thus making it a practical guide other than the many theoritical texts available in the market. It enumerates various discipline styles that can be used by the parent to correct bad behaviour. The styles depend on the behaviour being corrected and also the nature of the child. His advise is that the styles are not universal thus advices parents to choose what works for their child.
What I find most remarkable about this book is that it does not impose mechanisms as if they are universal. The author correctly acknowledges that only a parent can be the perfect expert on his child and therefore leaves it upto to parents to decide what may work for their children. He acknowledges that various suggestions may not always work.
He also addresses the various discipline challenges that parents face. If you are stressed about finding the right footing in disciplining your child, chances are you will get the perfect answer here amongst all the toddler parenting books that are in the market. This book emphasizes on patience while disciplining your child. It also gives guidelines to how parents can go about disciplining while avoiding spanking and still remaining respectful to their children.The book however takes a rather unbelievable approach by pointing out that a parent may get a child to obey him always and be an angel just by being close to them. The reason advanced is that the child will obey for fear of hurting you. This is largely disputed because obeyance is influenced by other factors such as a child’s temperament and dispositions. The book is not a complete guide but is a top among the toddler parenting books.
-
The Happiest Baby Guide to Great Sleep: Simple Solutions For Kids From Birth to 5 Years
This book is a must read among the toddler parenting books. It is the third book by Dr. Karp on this subject of sleep. Throughout his work, Dr. Karp recognizes that healthy sleeping habits for the child are great for the mother. He acknowledges that sleep deprivation for mothers can be a cause of post-poterm depression and thus gives tips on how to make your child sleep better.
In this book, the author has given advice on how to make a child sleep through the night thus affording the mother better slep as well. He most importantly recommends sleeping through white noise which he says is also recommended for patients. He introduces the 5s method for helping babies sleep.The book offers invaluable information on transitioning the baby to her own crib. It offers a practical guideline on how to make the transition as smooth as posible by employing calming techniques for the baby. Even though he advices about feeding and rocking the baby to soothe her, he also teaches on how to let the baby go to sleep on her on thus making it easier for the mother to get rest.
Although this guide is better than most toddler parenting books, it is a bit repetitive. It does not offer much new information for anyone who has read the preceeding two books by Dr. Karp.