What are your favorite toddler behavior/discipline/teaching/parenting books?

[ChicagoMama]

Maybe we've done a list like this before, but I'm in the mood to do some reading on parenting a toddler. I was given "what to expect the toddler years" as a gift - but I find it's kind of like reading a parenting magazine - little snippets, not much depth. If you have any suggestions for attachment parenting books for toddler and beyond, that would also be great!

I've heard of:
Baby Whisperer for Toddlers (not sure of title?)
1-2-3 Magic

TIA!!
Becky

Mama to DDs Shelby 09/19/02 and Sydney 10/16/03

[raynjen]

We like/refer to the following books:

(Complete Book of) Baby & Child Care - Focus on the Family, Tyndale
-For medical/physical issues

The New Dare to Discipline - Dr. James Dobson, Tyndale
-For discipline/parenting issues

The Strong Willed Child - Dr. James Dobson, Tyndale
AND
The Difficult Child - Dr. Stanley Turecki, Bantam
-For personality/discipline issues

Common Sense Parenting - Kent & Barbara Hughes, Tyndale
-For an overall perspective on parenting for Christians

Raising a Modern-Day Knight - Robert Lewis, Tyndale
-Raising a son (got this before we knew we were having a girl and enjoyed it so much I've given it/recommended it to others)

All of the books are listed Title - Author, Publisher

I am really looking forward to reading some more so I can't wait to hear your recommendations!

Jen in Okinawa
Mom to Noelle (2 1/2)

[redhookmom]

Becoming the Parent You Want to Be by Laura Davis and Janis Keyser.

Takes a developmental approach to parenting according to your values. Emphasizes honoring your child's impulses and feelings and creating situations in which they can learn to become the child they want to be!


Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline by Becky Bailey, Ph.d.
This book starts with the premise that you have a choice in how to raise your kids so that they cooperate with you: you can raise them with fear, or you can raise them with love.


Playful Parenting by Lawrence J. Cohen
Exlains the idea that play is necessary to children and provides a unique way for them to connect and bond with their parents, and can also be used as a valuable tool to help prevent conflict and discipline problems.


Positive Discipline and Positive Discipline A to Z.
by Jane Nelsen, PhD


You are Your Child's First Teacher
by Rahima Dancy
I love this book, everytime I go back to it I find something new.

[egoldber]

I haven't found a general develelopment book that I like really well. I have WTE the Toddler Years and also the AAP book, but neither is really very helpful to me, I don't think.

For discipline, I really like Positive Discipline and 1-2-3 Magic.

The Sears Discipline Book is pretty good too, but I find the other 2 more helpful with actual suggestions of things to do, especially the 1-2-3 Book.

It look like Sears also has a book called "The Successful Child" which is for "beyond babyhood and the early years", so it may be more what you're looking for.

HTH,

[Lucia]

Has anyone read or used the following books? I am thinking about ordering them (they have been recommended by friends, but I haven't checked any of them out yet)

The Happiest Toddler on the Block

Love and Logic for toddlers (not sure of whole title)


Thanks,
Lucia
mom to Noah 2/2003

[madelinesmom]

I just started

"The Happiest Toddler on the Block", the author has a really interesting ideas about toddlerhood but I am afraid it is like most books, there will be some good things and some things I will totally ignore... I really would like a good all purpose book that is not a snippet book like the "What to Expect" series, I really only look at that for the milestones now...


Jane
Madeline's Mom
1/20/03

[spu]

I'm in the same boat too... trying to find good books about toddlers... It's so hard to browse in bookstores with 2 babies (er - toddlers!) at once, so referals from these boards are so helpful.

Anyone read any of these? These are on my list to check when the babies allow me to!

-- The Everything Toddler Book

-- Parenting Guide to Your Toddler
by Paula Spencer, Parenting Magazine Editors

-- Parenting Guide to Positive Discipline
by Paula Spencer, Parenting Magazine Editors
-- Keys to Parenting Your 2-year old

-- Your Two Year Old: Terrible or Tender
by Louise Bates Ames and Carol C. Haber

susan

twin girls 7.20.02
charlotte + else

http://sunger2.home.comcast.net/bash/nonflash/year.html

[akc]

Hi -

I know it's been a while since y'all were posting here. Since you've had a few months with some of these under your belt, any more refined suggestions?

I read Happiest Toddler on the Block (Maeve was certainly a HBotB), but found that she did not respond well to his suggestions. She does like when we acknowledge her frustrations, and she fits with some of the age patterns he describes (although she blurs into the older stage than she is) - which is logical, but did not like "toddlerspeak."

Part of it is that she is really verbally advanced, so she CAN and DOES communicate what is wrong (most books say that this is their frustration along with emotional development), we just need something that veers her back towards a calm way to "use her words" instead of scream. She's also a fake cryer - we call it being "fak-o, bake-o" when she does this. Sometimes she starts to laugh b/c we've busted her, other times she just does it louder.

Given this, any more specific suggestions?

- I've been recommended and will probably read 1-2-3 Magic. Is it worth getting the video or audio version of this? We had the HBotB DVD this time and it was nice to not have to find time to read (esp since we have a newborn now).

- Is the "Positive Discipline" everyone is recommending the one by Jane Nelson? And, are you talking about the regular one rev in 4/1996 or the one that is Positive Discipline: the First 3 Years? I looked at that contents of the First 3 years one and while some seems good, a lot seems like we've already passed it. Should I instead get the Positive Discipline for Preschoolers?

- Other suggestions now that some of you have read those above and tested the methods?

Sorry to mooch on your parental research - it just seems that you want advice when you are most desperate!!!

Thanks in advance -
Alexa