Reading List for Expectant, New and Toddler Moms (and Dads)

As an information person, I try to consume a lot of content and tend to purchase a lot of books. But full disclosure: a bunch of these are still sitting on my shelf, waiting to be read. In a perfect world, I would have ready them all by now; of course, also in a perfect world, I’d be sitting in my fabulous beach home right now, relaxing with an Aperol Spritz in my hand instead of writing this blog.

This list is composed of both books my husband and I have read and found useful, and books that have come recommended to us by friends, specialists and professionals. There are a lot of books on this list, so unless you’re an amazing speed reader with a surprising amount of time on your hands, it would probably be hard to get through all of them; plus there are different approaches to all things parenting, so some may resonate more than others for you. I recommend reading the descriptions, reading reviews, and choosing the ones you think will be most useful to you.

Pro tip for expectant moms: try to read a few of the New Mom books like Bringing Up Bébé, The Happiest Baby on the Block, and Health Sleep Habits, Happy Child while you’re still pregnant, because a lot of the tips will come in handy soon after having your baby – and you won’t have as much time to read then!

Expectant Moms

• Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom Is Wrong--and What You Really Need to Know, by Emily Oster

• Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, by Ina May Gaskin

• Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding, by Ina May Gaskin

• Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting, by Pamela Druckerman

• How Not to Hate Your Husband After Kids by Jancee Dunn

New Moms

• Caring for Your Baby and Young Child, Birth to Age 5, by AAP

• Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding, by Ina May Gaskin

• The Happiest Baby on the Block: The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Newborn Baby Sleep Longer, by Harvey Karp

• Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child: A Step-by-Step Program for a Good Night's Sleep, by Marc Weissbluth

• Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems, by Richard Ferber

• Cribsheet, by Emily Oster

• The Wonder Weeks: A Stress-Free Guide to Your Baby's Behavior, by Xaviera Plas-Plooij, Frans X. Plooij and Hetty van de Rijt

• Brain Rules for Baby: How to Raise a Smart and Happy Child from Zero to Five, by John Medina

• The Pediatrician's Guide to Feeding Babies and Toddlers: Practical Answers To Your Questions on Nutrition, Starting Solids, Allergies, Picky Eating, and More, by Anthony Porto & Dina DiMaggio

• Raising a Healthy, Happy Eater: A Parent's Handbook: A Stage-by-Stage Guide to Setting Your Child on the Path to Adventurous Eating, by Nimali Fernando and Melanie Potock

• The Big Book of Organic Baby Food: Baby Purées, Finger Foods, and Toddler Meals For Every Stage, by Stephanie Middleberg

Toddler Moms

• The Happiest Toddler on the Block: The Happiest Toddler on the Block: How to Eliminate Tantrums and Raise a Patient, Respectful, and Cooperative One- to Four-Year-Old, by Harvey Karp

• How to Talk so Little Kids Will Listen: A Survival Guide to Life with Children Ages 2-7, by Joanna Faber and Julie King

• No Bad Kids: Toddler Discipline Without Shame by Janet Lansbury

• Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems, by Richard Ferber

• Raising a Healthy, Happy Eater: A Parent's Handbook: A Stage-by-Stage Guide to Setting Your Child on the Path to Adventurous Eating, by Nimali Fernando and Melanie Potock

• Oh Crap! Potty Training: Everything Modern Parents Need to Know to Do It Once and Do It Right, by Jamie Glowacki

• 1-2-3- Magic: 3-Step Discipline for Calm, Effective, and Happy Parenting, by Thomas Phelan

• How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk, by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish

• Siblings Without Rivalry: How to Help Your Children Live Together So You Can Live Too, by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish

• Positive Parenting: An Essential Guide, by Rebecca Eanes

• The Conscious Parent, by Dr. Shefali Tsabary

• The Awakened Family: How to Raise Empowered, Resilient, and Conscious Children, by Dr. Shefali Tsabary

• The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind, by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson

• No-Drama Discipline: The Whole-Brain Way to Calm the Chaos and Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind, by Daniel J. Siegel

Relationship & Lifestyle

• Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting, by Pamela Druckerman

• How Not to Hate Your Husband After Kids by Jancee Dunn

• Fair Play: A Game-Changing Solution for When You Have Too Much to Do (and More Life to Live) by Eve Rodsky (+ the Fair Play Card Deck)

• The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

• The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country's Foremost Relationship Expert by John Gottman

Update: since writing this, I have discovered audio books and am consuming much more content than ever before! I listen to books while running errands, folding laundry, tidying up, and doing the dishes. I even kind of look forward to doing chores around the house because I know I’ll be able to listen to my book. I highly recommend this for busy moms who want to read a bunch of stuff but barely have a moment to even sit down, much less make it through a 200-page book.

Have other favorite parenting books not listed here? Please share them in the comments!