Parenting can be overwhelming, especially for first-time parents, but it doesn’t mean parents have to throw darts in the dark and hope something sticks. That’s why there are so many resources in the market, including books, to help train parents train children. Yes, you can watch videos, listen to podcasts, or go to child specialist in person, but all of them are either too vague or very expensive. Not to mention, if you intend to instill healthy habits in your child (rhetorical; you wouldn’t be reading this article otherwise) from the get-go, you shouldn’t be indulging in them yourself, especially, digital consumption.
But there’s another reason parents should go for books. Good self-help books are pragmatic; they are packed with research backed info, practical advice, and both general and case-specific insights. And to top it off, all of this is packaged in a neat portable book, with little to no drawbacks. It’s a habit that you can give to your unborn child through your practice.
Most of all, you should remember parenting is demanding task, and it takes more than just reading child development books to get it right. Heck, even with intent and right information, raising a child is no easy task. Why would it be? It’s already difficult to keep yourself in check, and here you’re raising a whole other human being. So, while you’re reading child development books, also learn to forgive yourself for being human.
Top Books on Child Growth and Development
If you’re still in the dark about the best books for child development, here is a compilation of the 7 best child development books parents should be reading in 2024:
1. Understanding Your Child from 1 to 5 Years by Dr. Tony Manrique Guzman
Just as children don’t feel embarrassed with hand holding when they learn things the first time, parents shouldn’t feel embarrassed or guilty either, especially when their children are young. Seeing that there weren’t many child development books for 1-5 years, Dr. Tony Manrique Guzmán decided to put his expertise to use. Having studied pediatrician at Boston University and Child Development at Harvard, Dr. Tony distilled his years of academic and professional experience in creating one of the best books for child development.
Understanding Your Child from 1 to 5 Years goes through each stage of child development between the ages 1 to 5. The book provides tailored needs and strategies to deal with children at each individual stage. It’s filled to the brim with information on child health and nutrition, ways to create healthy lifelong habits, preventive measures for childhood illnesses, and behavioral insights to check if your child is on the right path.
2. The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Bryson
This book is crucial in understanding the inner workings of a child’s brain. Neuropsychiatrist Daniel Siegel and parenting expert Tina Bryson join hands to explain the complexities behind your child’s emotional episodes. From temper tantrums to joyous skips to silent sulks, every emotion, its trigger and solution, is explained in detail with science. The book dubs the frontal lobe as the “upstairs brain”, which is responsible for executive functions, such as planning, evaluating, and decision making, making emotional regulation manageable. This part of the brain isn’t fully developed till the mid-twenties, thus resulting in frequent emotional fluctuations.
The Whole-Brain Child dissects the brain for better understanding the parts and the whole brain. Naming and engaging these parts stimulates the brain, not only keeping the child in check but also helping it develop into a healthy functioning organ. This one of a kind book on child growth and development should be on every parents shelf.
3. What to Expect the First Year by Heidi Murkoff
For first-time parents, the early years can be pretty daunting. Especially the first year, when the child can’t speak, walk, or do anything at all, save for crying and pooping, is a challenge in of itself. “What to do then?”, the parents may ask. Well that’s exactly what What to Expect the First Year is all about. It’s part of the best-selling What to Expect series of books by Heidi Murkoff. Experienced parent and author, Murkoff conceived this idea during her first pregnancy when she couldn’t answers to things she didn’t expect, like most new parents.
As the title suggests, the book takes parents by the hand, explaining each and every occurrence that may arise during the first year of a child’s life. Unironically, you can expect to find answers to most of your queries. From wondering what does a healthy baby’s poop look like to begging to know when will your baby finally stop crying to sleep at night (and the whole day for that matter), rest assured you will find your answers. There’s a reason it has sold millions of copies, touted as one of the best child development books for parents.
4. The Montessori Toddler: A Parent’s Guide to Raising a Curious and Responsible Human Being by Simone Davies
Let’s take a break from problems and focus on the positives. After all, raising children is every bit about building positive habits and learning ethics as it is about changing diapers and feeding mouths. Unfortunately, the former doesn’t come as easy as the latter. The struggle to create the perfect environment, or even a functioning one, for inculcating the right ethics without resorting to extreme measures is real. And clueless parents can get frustrated from untoward guilt pressure.
Simone Davies, an experienced AMI (Association Montessori Internationale) Montessori teacher, came up with The Montessori Toddler and other books in the series for this very reason. Like other parents, Davies struggled with the antics of her unruly children, which made her empathetic yet frustrated at the same time. With first-hand experience dealing with her own, and hundreds of other children, Davies has compiled invaluable insights into three child development books. Learn to utilize the best tools and activities to create a Montessori most suited for your child’s growth with The Montessori Toddler.
5. How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
If your child is going to start school, buckle up for another roller coaster ride of emotions, this time with more drama and bickering (or ignoring, depends upon your kids mood). The ability to speak opens up so many more opportunities of relating with your kid, only if they let you though. Unfortunately, getting kids to open up is a tedious task, one that will leave you at your wits end. If you’re not careful, you can even create a lifelong communication barrier between you and your child.
So how should you tackle this situation? How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk has all the answers. It’s another classic in the list of child development books. The authors have put together a handy guide on how to make your kids feel safe, seen, and heard. In addition, you will get to know the basics of setting firm boundaries with your children without setting them off. It’s no surprise this one of the top books on child growth.
6. Siblings Without Rivalry: How to Help Your Children Live Together So You Can Live Too by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
It’s hard to picture children becoming their own individuals and having relationships with other people when they are completely dependent on their parents. And the first of this instance comes comes in the form of sibling relationships. So, in order to grow into healthy individuals, children need to have as good of a relationship with their siblings as their parents. This is a crucial step in every child’s life and should be dealt deftly, unless you want to foster lifelong sibling rivalries.
The solution? Siblings Without Rivalry by Faber and Mazlish. Yes, this duo is featured twice on this list of child development books, only because their second book deals with a touchy subject that rarely people touch upon. The book teaches parents the difference between fair and equal treatment as well as ways to resolve conflicts and between their children.
7. Driven to Distraction by Edward M. Hallowell and Smart but Scattered by Peg Dawson and Richard Guare
We had to combine two books for our last entry on the list of best child development books for parents. Partly because both books are worth reading, and partly due to lack of awareness and information about ways to deal with mentally handicapped kids. Some might consider that last comment a bit harsh and misleading, but it doesn’t hide the truth that an underdeveloped executive function is, in fact, a mental disability.
What these books teach, among other things, is that a scattered brain, one that performs poorly at planning, organizing, focusing, decision making, etc is not simply bored or unfocused; it’s receiving less stimulus. So, if you feel like your child is smart but unable to focus on the task at hand, you should consider giving these books a read.
Conclusion
By now you must have realized that raising smart, healthy (mentally and physically) children is no easy task, and that there is an equally good number of books on the topic of child growth and development. But despite everything, nurturing children is a reward of its own and if you remember to forgive for your very human short comings, you will definitely have fun on this long journey.
