Parenting Reading List

This book by Henry A. Paul, M.D., covers almost every issue that may come up over the years as a parent, from stealing and lying to fears and phobias. Is stuttering normal? What do you do if your child develops a school phobia or is an underachiever? Is My Child Okay? will help you cope with these issues and many more.

Setting Limits with Your Strong Willed Child by Robert J. MacKenzie, Ed.D., is an easy to read book that will help you learn to end power struggles with your kids and get your strong willed child to listen. Many parents will recognize the 'family dance' that Dr. MacKenzie describes, in which parents and kids argue, and nothing gets done. These parents will especially appreciate how they can learn new parenting techniques to overcome the family dance, including how to be more consistent, and motivate their kids to follow their rules.

From food safety and food allergies to eating disorders, the American Academy of Pediatrics Guide to Your Child's Nutrition will teach you just about everything you need to know about your child's nutrition. A comprehensive, but easy to read book, it even includes information on vitamins, vegetarian diets, and feeding your baby.

Since this book was first released in 1986, The Nursing Mother's Companion by Kathleen Huggins has been the bible of breastfeeding. The new fifth edition continues to provide help and support to breastfeeding moms.

Dr. Richard Ferber and his book Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems has long been considered the classic guide to helping kids with sleep problems. This new and revised edition helps clear up many of the misconceptions people had that 'Ferberizing' was simply a cry-it-out method. Dr. Ferber's techniques will help most parents teach their children good sleep habits, help them fall asleep on their own, and help everyone get a good night's sleep.

Of course, the Ferber method isn't for everyone. That is where The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley can be a good fit. There is even a No-Cry Sleep Solution For Toddlers And Preschoolers book for your older child.

With the increasing rates of childhood obesity, any help getting kids to a healthy weight would be welcomed by most parents. Trim Kids is just the help that most kids and parents need. In addition to meal plans and recipes, this book includes a week by week plan, including exercises to help get your kids more active.

Although new food labels make it a little easier to identify and avoid things that kids might be allergic to, many parents have a hard time understanding food allergies. In some cases, that means that kids are restricted from eating foods that they really aren't allergic to, but more seriously, they are sometimes given foods that can trigger life-threatening allergic reactions. The Parent's Guide to Food Allergies will help you to understand food allergies, including allergies to milk, eggs, wheat, and peanuts, etc., and how to identify hidden ingredients that might signal something your child is allergic to is in a food.