Raising Kids
It’s no secret around here that I am a consumer of books on toddler discipline. While I don’t implement every strategy that various books have suggested, they have–by far–made parenting easier for me. These books gave me the tools I needed to develop my own thoughts, ideas and strategies on positive toddler discipline.
As a new mom, I spent a serious amount of time reading and digesting information about baby sleep tips. What I learned helped us guide both are kids into well sleeping babies, who were able to consolidate their sleep from a very early age.
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Talk about a sanity saver! Those tips helped keep our family rested and peaceful. Now that we are well into the strong willed toddler parenting trenches, books again came to our rescue.
10 Books on Toddler Discipline You’ll Absolutely Love
1. No Bad Kids: Toddler Discipline Without Shame
“No Bad Kids” is a collection of Janet’s most popular and widely read articles pertaining to common toddler behaviors and how respectful parenting practices can be applied to benefit both parents and children. It covers such common topics as punishment, cooperation, boundaries, testing, tantrums, hitting, and more.
“No Bad Kids” provides a ton practical and useful advice parents who are anticipating or experiencing the toddlers years when the limits of patience and love are tested beyond belief.
2. Positive Discipline for Preschoolers
This book helps you find practical solutions for how to avoid the power struggles that often come with mastering sleeping, eating, and potty training, see misbehavior as an opportunity to teach non-punitive discipline—not punishment, instill valuable social skills and positive behavior inside and outside the home by using methods that teach important life skills, employ family and class meetings to tackle behavioral challenges, and much, much more!
3. Say What You See for Parents and Teachers
This quick how-to guide offers practical tips for communicating effectively, setting boundaries like walls and using acknowledgments instead of constant praise. It’s loaded with real-life examples and playful illustrations, teaching you exactly how to “say what you see” to start from where the child is – in the physical world of the here and now…and provide guidance from there.
4. Parenting With Love and Logic
This parenting book shows you how to raise self-confident, motivated children who are ready for the real world. Learn how to parent effectively while teaching your children responsibility and growing their character.
Establish healthy control through easy-to-implement steps without anger, threats, nagging, or power struggles.
5. The Whole-Brain Child
Complete with age-appropriate strategies for dealing with day-to-day struggles and illustrations that will help you explain these concepts to your child, The Whole-Brain Child shows you how to cultivate healthy emotional and intellectual development so that your children can lead balanced, meaningful, and connected lives. Learn why your child does the things they do–according to science.
A great compliment to this is book is No-Drama Discipline–also written by Dan Siegel.
6. How to Talk So Kids Will Listen
We gave this book a try and loved it. We found that we were able to correct behaviors without time-out at all. And it helped us create a peaceful home. Another reader shared a similiar experience…
We haven’t even been tempted to put anyone in time-out for almost a year. Most surprising, our 3-year-old COMPLETELY stopped throwing tantrums within about two days of our stopping time-outs. It was a dramatic change for a child who had always been a little difficult to handle.
7. Between the Parent and Child
This book goes beyond vague theory and gives you practical advice and easy-to-follow examples. You can begin to use the ideas the day you start reading it. It works so well, as soon as you begin using Ginott’s advice, you will have countless alternatives to yelling, nagging and reminding.
8. The Parent Survival Guide
Through a series of guided exercises, Kellam gives parents the skills they need to begin to set aside special playtimes with their children, during which the most important part of the process is simply “being there” in a way that promotes healing, growth, and communication.
The beauty of this approach is that in only 30 minutes, once a week, the results can be seen in only a few weeks. I used these “special playtimes” with our oldest and saw fewer tantrums and power struggles after only a few playtimes.
9. Helpful Phrases
Learn 100+ helpful phrases to respond to your kids in almost any situation. When parenting books seem long and arduous, this quick and practical read dives straight into tips you can use immediately. Get the tools you need to hold your boundaries without power struggles and tantrums. Plus, get access to 12+ printables to help you remember all the phrases you love the most.
10. Printable Routine Picture Cards for Kids
Surprise! This is not a book on toddler discipline, but this is an amazing tool to help you get your toddler to follow directions and a routine without yelling, nagging or reminding. Here are just a few things a reader shared about the cards…
These printed out beautifully. Exactly as pictured. I can’t believe how much my 3 year old loves them. She is already started to remember the pictures and doing the next step of her routine without reminders! I would absolutely buy an expansion pack with more chores for when she gets older f you ever make one! — Diane
This list of best books on toddler discipline has truly made a positive impact on our family. I haven’t read every book cover-to-cover, but I’ve taken nuggets of wisdom from each book and I continue to pick up, read them, and gain more knowledge month after month. If you have a favorite book on toddler discipline, share in the comments!
Print this free toddler listening checklist.
This post comes with a free printable checklist to help with toddler listening. I always have the hardest time remembering these phrases. This printable simplifies it!
Here is a sneak preview…
Download Your Free Printable
- Download the checklist. You’ll get the printable, plus join 37,000+ parents who receive my weekly parenting tips and ideas!
- Print. Any paper will do the trick, but card stock
would be ideal. - Place it on your refrigerator. Check things off as you go and don’t forget a thing!
would be ideal.
More on parenting…
- The Easiest Way to Respond When Your Child Hits, Kicks or Bites
- How to Get Your Child to Follow a Routine Without Reminders
- 5 Sample Daily Toddler Schedules from Real Moms
- 2 Year Old Not Listening? Try This Remarkable Tip
- Two Words That Will Tame Temper Tantrums – Every Time
- 50+ Best Simple Games for 2 Year Olds and Up
- The Ultimate List of Board Games for 2 Year Olds
I am currently reading 1 2 3 Magic! It is designed to start working at around age 2! It has been incredibly helpful in shape the way I wish to discipline our children in the future, but also in helping me work with clients develop behavior and discipline plans for their families. I think because theoretically is such an easy program it can be very beneficial in a military family where one parent is not always present but they know how to stay consistent when they are around!
Great to know! Thank you for sharing that!