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Raise Your Child Better With the Best Parenting Books

Last updated: 17 Jan 2023
Raising your firstborn might be the most demanding task you commit to as a person, but it can be equally rewarding if done right. Although navigating pregnancy is a challenge of its own, nothing compares to the first 12 months of parenthood. As soon as you wave goodbye to the sanctuary of the hospital, your wildest adventure of being a parent begins. With countless diaper mishaps, complicated nap schedules, ill-timed baby screams and sleepless nights, the first year as a parent is challenging to say the least. This is especially true if you don’t have an experienced relative or nanny to rely on. Parenting books are embedded with invaluable wisdom on raising a child, acting as manuals that help you navigate through the most complicated moments of parenthood. With extensive library bookshelves and limitless online articles, there’s an overwhelming amount of information on parenting. But figuring out what books will help you the most can be challenging. To help, we’ve shortlisted the top parenting books of 2023.
Best Overall
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Raising Good Humans by Hunter Clarke-Fields
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Most Effective
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Mindful Parenting in a Chaotic World
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Best for Learning Patience
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Mindfulness Journal for Parents
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Best After-Birth Book
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We’re Parents! Parenting Book
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Best How-To Guide
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How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
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Best for Anxious Children
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Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne
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Best for Parent’s Self-Care
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How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t with Your Kids by Carla Naumburg
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Best Psychology Book
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The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read by Philippa Perry
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Best Book for Dads
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The Ultimate Baby Book for New Dads Parenting Book
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Best Before-Birth Book
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We’re Pregnant! Parenting Book
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Show Contents
Here Are the Top Parenting Books of 2023
  • 1 Raising Good Humans by Hunter Clarke-Fields – Best Overall
  • 2 Mindful Parenting in a Chaotic World – Most Effective
  • 3 Mindfulness Journal for Parents – Best for Learning Patience
  • 4 We’re Parents! Parenting Book – Best After-Birth Book
  • 5 How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish – Best How-To Guide
  • 6 Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne – Best for Anxious Children
  • 7 How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t with Your Kids by Carla Naumburg – Best for Parent’s Self-Care
  • 8 The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read by Philippa Perry – Best Psychology Book
  • 9 The Ultimate Baby Book for New Dads Parenting Book – Best Book for Dads
  • 10 We’re Pregnant! Parenting Book – Best Before-Birth Book

Buying Guide: Parenting Books

Whether it is the sleep schedules, tackling the dirty diapers or disciplining your child’s behavior, make sure you are fully prepared before you welcome your little one into the world. If you are part of a nuclear family with no one to depend on, the challenge of raising a child becomes even trickier.

Parenting books are just the right antidote for your child’s upbringing needs. Providing you with practical advice, parenting books are filled with wisdom intended to make you a better parent. With the plethora of books available on both online and offline platforms, it’s hard to find one that fully addresses your situation. Below, we’ve put together a detailed buyer’s guide to help.

How To Find the Right Parenting Book

Parenting books fall into three main categories:

Guidebook

A large portion of parenting books are parental guidebooks, written by family therapists, pediatricians, nurses and psychologists. These books offer tips and strategies to ensure a healthy and effective child upbringing.

From maintaining sleep cycles and nurturing needs of a newborn child to handling disciplining and potty-training challenges of a toddler, guidebooks address major child-related issues along with ways on how to handle these issues with patience and understanding.

Personal experience

Sometimes, another parent’s word seems more genuine, relatable and helpful than that of a psychotherapist. That’s why parenting books based on a parent’s personal experiences are ranked highly in terms of popularity. Written by real parents, bloggers and celebrities, these memoirs explore the author’s journey as a parent and feature some basic advice.

Science-based

Science-based parenting books tackle the concept of parenting through a scientific lens. From the chemical composition of breastmilk to the psychology behind mood swings and tantrums, these books rely on research-oriented facts and statements. These books are often written by researchers and health journalists.

What Do the Top Parenting Books Have in Common?

No matter what parenting book you read, specific aspects regarding parenthood and child psychology are evident. Every bestselling book about parenting has a few elements that place it above the rest; these factors also determine your success as a parent:

  • Your actions matter. The way you treat, interact and attend to your child leaves an impression. So, before taking a certain step regarding your child’s parenting, figure out what type of consequence it would lead to.
  • Be a part of your child’s life. No matter how busy your personal life is, you need to make time to be involved in theirs. Make sure you know what’s going on in their lives to ensure healthy interactions.
  • Start managing your child’s behavior early. If you notice something off in their behavior, point it out right away instead of leaving it up to them to figure out. Use modern disciplinary techniques instead of punishment.
  • Stop setting barriers. Let your child experience freedom and independence so that they’re able to establish self-direction. While you should keep an eye out for them, you also must let them learn from their own experiences.

You don’t have to resort to telling to get your child to listen and to build a better relationship with them. Check out this video from Live On Purpose TV for some great additional parenting tips:

Here Are the Top Parenting Books of 2023

Raising Good Humans by Hunter Clarke-Fields – Best Overall

1
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While highlighting and acknowledging the dilemmas of parenting, Raising Good Humans offers an innovative and insightful approach to raising children. This helpful parenting book offers ways of finding the balance between work life and parenting, all while reducing your stress when everything becomes too overwhelming.

Being a mindfulness mentor, Hunter Clarke-Fields shares their wisdom and personal experiences as a guide to developing healthy relationships with children. This insightful read gives you a chance to reflect on and recognize flaws in your own habits. Plus, you’ll receive many tools to learn how to break free of them. Since children directly learn from their parents, the book lists exercises and strategies for self-control and self-improvement so you can be an inspiration for your children. Thanks to these insightful, helpful and life-altering attributes, we’ve chosen this book as our best overall choice.

Pros

  • Offers a personalized approach to mindful parenting
  • Includes self-awareness and self-control exercises
  • Helps you develop a healthy parent-child bond

Cons

  • May be too basic for some
Buy on Amazon

Mindful Parenting in a Chaotic World – Most Effective

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Next up on our official listing, we have the brand-new Mindful Parenting Book published by a certified educator — Nicole Libin. The entire book features several different mindfulness strategies and activities that are easy to do and follow. All of the examples are compared to the situations in real life. Your kid will be able to perform them anywhere — in their room, yard, patio, etc. This will spread empathy, acceptance, and emotional awareness within your whole family. Published on October 29, 2019, this book has over 126 pages and comes in a beautiful packaging parcel. You can acquire it as a kindle or paperback — this will depend on your preferences.

Pros

  • Presented in a simple language
  • Effective strategies

Cons

  • Lack of illustrations
Buy on Amazon

Mindfulness Journal for Parents – Best for Learning Patience

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The Mindfulness Journal for Parents by Josephine Atluri is one of the most effective parenting books for building a calm and mindful relationship with kids. Children can get extremely chaotic, and it is important that we handle them with patience and care instead of getting short-tempered with them. 

Among other important lessons, this book focuses on creating empathy, developing a better understanding, and encouraging healthy communication with your kids. It includes exercises that will challenge your existing thoughts and behaviors about parenting, and help you adopt a new approach to handling crises, managing tough times, and appreciating the little things.

Pros

  • Includes insightful topics for broadening your mind
  • Challenging exercises for a hands on approach
  • Ideal for building a connection with kids

Cons

  • Not available in hardcover
Buy on Amazon

We’re Parents! Parenting Book – Best After-Birth Book

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Unlike most other parenting books that focus on planning and dealing with life during childbirth, the “We’re Parents!” parenting book details a clear and concise plan on how to deal with life after childbirth.

Filled with interesting little tidbits of information and some common problems that first-time dads run into, this calculated parenting book focuses on quantifying the stages after childbirth by using quarterly checklists, milestones, and detailed guides related to specific occasions. But what we loved the most was the upbeat and humorous tone throughout the book that makes taking care of your child an enjoyable activity instead of a chore.

Pros

  • Special quarterly checklists included
  • Contains helpful charts featuring important milestones
  • Included step-by-step guides for common situations
  • Includes monthly stats to keep you on track 

Cons

  • Could be a little more specific
Buy on Amazon

How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish – Best How-To Guide

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How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish is compiled with fresh insights and suggestions. The authors provide time-tested solutions for healthy child upbringing and guidance on how to build long-lasting relationships with them.

This book is a must-have for parents who are struggling with their child’s feelings like anger, frustration and disappointment. Providing effective alternatives to punishment, this book helps you learn how to express strong feelings to your child without being hurtful. What’s more, this book offers valuable insight on how to cope with your child’s negative feelings, for instance through healthy interaction and learning how to replace these negative feelings with kindness and compassion.

Pros

  • Teaches how to cope with negative feelings
  • Uses peace to resolve conflict
  • Promotes self-discipline over punishment
  • Reinforces healthy, constructive interactions with children

Cons

  • May address outdated parental issues
Buy on Amazon

Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne – Best for Anxious Children

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Is your kid anxious? Are they defiant and difficult to deal with? Do they have trouble making and keeping friends? Do you often misjudge your child and have trouble connecting with them? Or, perhaps your child is exposed to more attention and screen time than they can handle. If so, Simplicity Parenting serves as the guidebook to set everything right.

With a fast-paced and busy life for both kids and parents, Kim John Payne instructs parents to give their children the space and freedom to think, realize and respond with their mental capacity. The author provides you with a step-by-step guide to reduce your child’s exposure to overwhelming stimuli and find that perfect rhythm and routine that fosters calmness and peace.

Pros

  • Instructs on how to limit screen time
  • Helps build a clam, balanced home environment
  • Creates a balanced schedule for your child

Cons

  • Content may be repetitive
Buy on Amazon

How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t with Your Kids by Carla Naumburg – Best for Parent’s Self-Care

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Raising children can be exhausting, to say the least, and this is nothing to be ashamed of. If you’re juggling a full-time job and trying to raise a child, you’re not alone. In How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t with Your Kids Carla Naumburg offers proven practices and strategies to prevent any parental meltdown. Plus, she offers tips on how to become a calm and compassionate parent without sounding judgmental.

Whether your kid is a toddler or young enough to go to school, this self-care manual will give you a concrete action plan to get your act together as a parent. Because, the only way you can raise your child better is by better managing your everyday stress to empower and motivate yourself.

Pros

  • Highlights the difficulties of being a parent
  • Features a readable, empathetic and entertaining voice
  • Offers practical, how-to tips

Cons

  • Some found it too long
Buy on Amazon

The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read by Philippa Perry – Best Psychology Book

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Philippa Perry — a renowned psychotherapist — dives deep into the psychology of children to understand how they perceive things and how their relationship with their parents affects their behavior. The book highlights the “dos” and “don’ts” in a parent-child relationship and offers tips on how to maintain and nurture a healthy parental bond.

In addition to underlining the common theme of early childhood upbringing, Perry advises parents and grandparents to view their toddlers as more than just a child. The book carries insight for everyone, giving you the perspective of reliving your own childhood through your children.

Pros

  • Includes real-life parenting examples
  • Nurtures a healthy adult-child relationship
  • Teaches effective parent-child communication

Cons

  • Does not address basic parental issues
Buy on Amazon

The Ultimate Baby Book for New Dads Parenting Book – Best Book for Dads

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Being a dad can be a scary prospect if you’re unprepared and clueless about what you must do once the baby arrives. At moments like these, having this ultimate parenting book for new dads can be a definite cheat sheet on what’s most important when dealing with a newborn or toddler.

From burping techniques to getting your baby to nap to filing for paternity leave, this excellent guide has you covered every aspect of childbirth. It contains fully vetted, evidence-based advice from a seasoned pediatrician who’s seen his fair share of uncomfortable and clueless dads.

Pros

  • Written by an experienced pediatrician
  • Contains over 100 parenting tips for new dads
  • Divided into small, comprehensive sections
  • Contains completely evidence-based info

Cons

  • A little too beginner friendly
Buy on Amazon

We’re Pregnant! Parenting Book – Best Before-Birth Book

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Knowing details about how to raise your child after birth is all well and good, but we’d argue that for a partner knowing how to comfort your significant other and prepare for your child’s birth before the event is just as important. “We’re Pregnant!” is an excellent parenting book that provides additional information to partners on how to prepare for their child’s birth before the actual event, and raise awareness of a father’s duties to their partner and unborn child in the months following birth.

Containing helpful diagrams, pictures, and milestones, this incredibly informative guide wastes no time getting straight to all the need-to-know information for new dads that’ll eventually help them in their child-rearing journey.

Pros

  • Organized by each month in each trimester
  • Includes everything from bonding to changing diapers
  • Filled with helpful milestone trackers
  • Contains a section featuring must-ask questions

Cons

  • Doesn’t have enough info on complications of childbirth
Buy on Amazon

People Also Asked

Q: What is the ideal time to read parenting books?

A: There is no ideal time to start reading a parenting book. You can also start at a later age when your little one starts causing trouble or you can start during pregnancy to be prepared in advance.

Q: When is it the hardest to parent a child?

A: Most parents believe 8-years-old is the most difficult age to parent a child as they begin to engage in social life.

Q: When is the right time to start reading to your baby?

A: It depends. You can start as early as the first week or wait until they start talking.

Mighty Moms Reviews Team
By Mighty Moms Reviews Team

The Mighty Moms Reviews Team’s product reviews and in-depth guides are here to help you tackle motherhood and everything that comes along with it. The content is created by The Mighty Moms Reviews Team. Mighty Moms’ editorial staff is not involved. Mighty Moms is reader-supported: When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

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