10 Best Parenting Books on Kids & Toddlers Compared in 2024

Effectiveness

It is an outline of a course of positive parenting solutions. These solutions are proven to be a scream and nag-free program that is effective and will correct your child’s bad behavior before it even starts. The book draws on the ‘Adlerian psychology and Positive Discipline” methods. These methods focus on the idea that every person has a basic feeling that they need to feel connected and empowered. Children are not any different and when that need is not meet they feel the need to act in a negative manner. In the book, the author supplies readers with strategies that they can use with their children to empower and connect with them in a positive manner. The positivity will not only teach them to be well-behaved children but will make effective adults.

Style

Positive parenting is a technique that not only empowers children, but it also teaches parents how to empower themselves as well. These methods are not only effective for children and their behaviors but soon you will find yourself using the methods in other aspects of life. The methods will not only make you a successful parent but empower your life in a more positive way.

Value

Positive parenting is a wonderful technique that when implemented can work like a dream. Starting at a young age and working to empower your children will provide them with a lifetime of positivity.

Effectiveness

The methods will not only help you soothe your baby, but it will also help them increase their sleeping time. This fully revised and updated version of the book offers the newest insights on bed sharing, swaddling, sleep methods, and breastfeeding. The book describes these methods and concepts through four detailed chapters. With the advice of Dr. Harp, the author, you will transform even your fussiest baby to one of your happiest.

Style

Parenting a young infant is one of the biggest challenges that some parents will ever face especially when they are fussy and won't sleep. Learning methods that will not only help baby sleep better but be happier when they are awake will prove to make both parents and baby have a healthier and stronger bond.

Value

Tips and tools on how to help your baby sleep better and what to do when they are crying is so helpful. There is nothing worse than feeling like a helpless parent. This book is up to date on the methods and concepts that are used by everyday parents and is helpful real-life advice.

Effectiveness

Selling over 1.8 million copies this 6th edition is listed as a best seller and offers over 20 years of research completed by the author, Thomas W. Phelan, Ph.D. The methods are easy to use and help parents not only become effective parents but also allows them to connect more deeply with their children. The tasks of the book are broken down into three straightforward steps that parents can use in every day and virtually in every parenting scenario. It covers everything from chores to talking back. With this program, you will find that you are not only happier, but your child is too. Plus it is also proven to aid in raising smarter, healthier, happier, and funnier kids.

Style

Becoming an effective parent is one of the challenges that many faces each day. Using a simple and straightforward method is a way that everyone in the family can benefit. It not only is effective for the dripline factor but will also change the relationship that you have with your children. You will soon find yourself on the same ‘team’ as your child instead of battling each other.

Value

The straightforward three-step parenting method and technique is really simple to follow. Using it is very easy and when your children receive the same results no matter what the situation.

Effectiveness

The Whole-Brain Child by author Daniel J. Siegel steps in where your previous knowledge may fall off. This book presents an easy-to-understand explanation of how the right and left sides of your child’s brain function, together and individually, during their toddler and young school-age years. Have ever wondered why your 2-year-old threw a tantrum because she wanted the blue plate and it was dirty? Or how to discipline your 3-year-old when he just won’t stop hitting? Chock full of tested and true methods to curb and redirect tantrums and help your little one process emotions, this book is a welcome addition to any struggling parent’s bookcase.

Style

Your child has two different types of brain functions which this book helpfully describes as their "upstairs" and "downstairs" brain. The upstairs refers to the prefrontal cortex, the part of your little one’s brain that controls and manages emotions. This section of the brain is still growing and developing during the toddler and preschool age, forming new pathways and connections with every new experience. Because this critical region is not yet fully developed, your child will have a hard time understanding and redirecting their emotions which can lead to tantrums. Fortunately, this book has a plethora of techniques and tactics that you can utilize to help your child calm down and shift into their downstairs brain. This can also help you anticipate behavioral changes and shifts and prepare for them, helping your child feel more secure as well as strengthening your familial bonds.

Value

This book does a great job explaining some of the science and reasoning behind our children’s actions and how the differences between left-brain and right-brain thinking cannot only cause disruptions in your child’s life but also correct them.

Effectiveness

This book lays out information in an easily accessible and well-organized fashion. “For Parents” boxes focus specifically on the needs and apprehensions of moms and dads. Illustrations help to demonstrate various techniques and safety tips. And studies and data regarding the latest recommendations in food, sleep, screentime, and more, are all laid out in a digestible manner.

Style

This book takes several different approaches in the way it handles delivering information. A month-by-month guide sets up landmarks in development and what to be expecting at various ages. Children develop quickly and are constantly changing in their first years, so knowing the basic milestones they should be reaching can help you gage whether your child might need extra attention in any area. There are also question and answer sections and various graphs and illustrations to help demonstrate proper baby care. A few users would have preferred more factual and concise answers, as the book does sometimes take a conversational tone.

Value

We know this edition is about five years old, but it still comes highly recommended by those who are currently using it. Most of the information is still relevant and if you have any concerns about new studies, a quick google search will show you if you should do additional reading, most of the time! It’s priced pretty fairly, certainly falling below the average for many books of this length and caliber. It’s available via Kindle, Audiobook, Audio CD, and paperback.

Effectiveness

This book gives parents the tools to create a discipline plan that is compassionate to the child’s need, is effective in teaching them a lesson and gives them ideas to work with when a tantrum or tears start. Often parents dread dealing with any type of discipline. It causes tension between the kids and parents then is not a learning moment. This teaches parents how to effectively react to your children, be able to reach out to them, and how to turn a meltdown into a time for both the child and the parent to learn. This helps stop the cycle of misbehaving and causes a win-win situation for both parties. It will help parents discover strategies that help them learn what their methods are and what is most effective in the relationship that they have with their child. It is a no drama discipline approach that gives them praise. If disciplining your children is something that you want you both to learn from then pick this book up and learn how to be effective and learning experience for both.

Style

Teaches parents how to discipline their child with different methods that help with helping both the parents and the child learn from the misbehavior. The book includes first hand stories and illustrations from real life situations.

Value

When you are having a child or already have a kid we as parents always have questions able how we are affecting our kids for the long run. This book is able to bring to light how discipline affects their development long term.

Effectiveness

Using the tools from this book parents can learn how to effectively teach their children how to be responsible and how to grow as a person. It is able to show you how to create a healthy relationship that has control. It gives you step by step ways to control your anger, not threaten them, stop nagging them about things, and gives advice on how to deal with the power struggle. If you are parenting currently or new to the game this book has all the advice that you need to be able to ensure that you are sending your kids off into the world with all the tools that they need.

Style

Every parent needs some advice from time to time. This book is just that and more. It is the manual that we have all been looking for. It gives you all the tools that you need to be able to raise a person that is able to reach goals and be confident in their environment. The manual is easy to follow through effective step by step guides.

Value

Parents always wonder if their kids will grow up to be motivated and successful people. This is a guide that gives you steps to be able to give them the best chance possible. It is a great manual that gives real life stories.

Effectiveness

So then you are teaching respect by way of example. That’s pretty cool. You can learn in this book about how to gain your child’s cooperation even when he’s feeling bad, without fighting, how to change your language to engage your child, learn how to teach without punishing your child, and how to help your kids get along with each other. There’s lots more in the book, and it’s well written.

Style

How does having a happier, more peaceful home sound to you? Kids are growing constantly and in their quest for identity and independence, they can get angry and use hurtful and ugly language. So can adults when they respond back. Use this gentle book to learn how to get out of that rut and teach your kids by example how to behave respectfully and how to be happier at home.

Value

Parents now have a great resource they can go to when their kids are feeling bad about something. You can help your kids feel better about disappointing events. This can calm them, and the result is that you are more calm in dealing with the situation.

Effectiveness

This is how we fill up our child’s love tank. It’s making her feel loved and accepted. It’s a way of acknowledging her feelings. This is the one book that explains how to figure out what your child’s love language is, how to use it to solve problems, and how to make your child feel loved so you can have a great relationship.

Style

How nice would it be if you had a stable, loving, and kind relationship with your child or children? A relationship where everyone respects each other and problems could be solved without fighting? The information in this book will help you get there by explaining how you can talk to your child in a way that will make him or her feel loved. And since kids learn by example, that will help your child speak to you in a way that will make you feel loved. Filling up everyone’s love tank makes everyone feel loved.

Value

This book is full of great material and the examples written in the vocabulary used by kids is a good reason to read this book even if you’ve read the original book. We all want to communicate better with our families, and this is a very helpful book to get to that point.

Effectiveness

This is a new way of thinking for Americans as we are in the habit of putting emphasis on cognitive skills as the way to success. And we want our kids to get the earliest start possible by involving them in one or more preschools. The way to teach kids how to succeed, Paul says, is to teach character and coping skills, how to organize their thinking, and how to deal with failure. Teach kids how to deal with failing at something and it gives them a step up the coping ladder. They learn to deal with failure and move on. This also encourages persistence.

Style

This is an easy-to-read book that has lots of stories about kids. It gives hope even to parents and kids who may be at the poor end of the economic spectrum hope that if they don’t give up and learn to have grit and character, they too can succeed. How great would it be if your kid succeeded?

Value

Though the book is a bit technical in the research area, it can give people hope that kids can learn to be persistent, to never quit, to make correct decisions, and to organize their thinking, and that this will help them to succeed even if they are poor. If their parents are good, supportive parents, they can climb out of poverty and be successful.