My Favorite Parenting Books: From a Sleep Specialist and Mom
Something I’m asked nearly daily on Instagram is- “Rachael, what are your favorite parenting books!?” There are SO many books about raising babies and kids out there it can be really overwhelming and it’s so hard to narrow it down. I definitely read my share of books as a first time mom that I wish I could burn, but that’s for another blog post. Here are some of my favorite parenting books:
This book transformed the way I look at attachment in babies and young children, and made me think a lot about the way I was raised as well. It was required reading when I became a Circle of Security Parenting Facilitator, but it should be a must for ANY new parent!
The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read: (And Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did)
This is another great book that helps reflect on your own childhood. It’s not a “how to” for parenting, but rather a book to reflect on our relationships. It’s focus is on connection- the things that build it and the things that can break it. It’s big on feelings and covers pregnancy through your child entering adulthood.
Let's Talk About Your New Family's Sleep
One of the very few books I’ll recommend about sleep. This one is by one of my mentors and is very straightforward, compassionate, and evidence based. Highly recommend if you can’t decide which baby sleep book to get- skip them all and grab this one.
This is another book that is great for self reflection, thinking about our own childhoods, and thinking about how our early experiences shape the way we parent (for better or worse). It also shares great research on neurobiology and infant brain development, focusing on how important our most early experiences and interactions are for building resilient kids.
This is a great one if you have a “spirited” or “high needs” baby, especially one who has a lot of difficulty with sleep. If you’ve wondered why your baby seems harder than others, this might be the book that helps you make sense of it!
The Highly Sensitive Child: Helping Our Children Thrive When The World Overwhelms Them
Another great book about highly sensitive type children. This book is a wonderful read by one of the world’s top minds on this topic.
Safe Infant Sleep: Expert Answers to Your Cosleeping Questions
Written by top researcher on the topic of bed sharing, Professor James McKenna, this book dives deep into the history, anthropology, and current research around bed sharing (or “breastsleeping”) and safety. Also discusses important risk factors for SIDS and special circumstances like premie babies or twins.
Brain-Body Parenting: How to Stop Managing Behavior and Start Raising Joyful, Resilient Kids
This book has been a fascinating read for dealing with the tricky toddler and preschool age tantrums, defiance and other struggles. It’s a fascinating book that helps think about these common challenges in a new way, and gives great strategies and tools to help their children develop self-regulation skills while also encouraging parental self-care.
The Discontented Little Baby Book
This is another must-read for new parents, especially those dealing with a baby who is regularly fussy, rarely sleeps, or has been diagnosed as “colicky.” This book is written by Dr. Pam Douglas, the founder of the Possums approach, and gives you practical and evidence-based strategies for helping you and your baby get more in sync.
This book contains a revolutionary approach to child rearing with twelve key strategies that foster healthy brain development, leading to calmer, happier children. It’s simple, straight-forward, and gives real-world examples which make it easy to understand, even with all the neuroscience!
Rest, Play, Grow: Making Sense of Preschoolers (Or Anyone Who Acts Like One)
This book totally changed my view of parenting toddlers and preschoolers. It offers tons of information about how our little ones attach, how they communicate, and why they melt down over seemingly nothing so often. It is truly a must-read for any parent.
For a few more Parenting books I love, check out my Amazon Storefront here.
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