7 Best Gentle Parenting Books To Help With Your Stubborn Toddler

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If you’re like most mothers, you want to practice better parenting with your toddler and gentle parenting books is a great place to learn. It can be hard to find the time to read but I promise it will truly change the relationship with your child (and yourself).

Maybe general parenting tips are not working? Your child seems to be constantly testing your limits and pushing back against every attempt you make to parent in a more peaceful way.

A 2014 Nationally representative survey in the United States showed that there has ben a decline of 26-40% of spanking as a form of discipline from 1988 to 2011. Between increased research in child development and the rise of the internet, parents have access to so much more information.

–>Read more on why spanking will harm your child<–

It can be frustrating and exhausting to not understand our little ones! That’s why I put together this list of gentle parenting books that will help you better understand and connect with your stubborn toddler right away! Gentle parenting can be difficult implement without the right knowledge, but it’s worth the effort to learn!

Best Gentle Parenting Books To Read Today

The gentle parenting approach is a great way to connect with your toddler and help them develop into a well-rounded individual. If you are looking for ways to discipline your child without resorting to physical punishment, time-outs and shame, then check out these gentle parenting books:

1. No Bad Kids: Toddler Discipline Without Shame
2. The Whole Brain Child
3. Raising Your Spirited Child
4. The Explosive Child
5. Transforming The Difficult Child
6. How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk
7. No Drama Discipline

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#1 No Bad Kids: Toddler Discipline Without Shame by Janet Lansbury

“No Bad Kids” is a book that has advice for parents on how to deal with common toddler behaviors pertaining to punishment, cooperation and boundaries. It is a gentle approach to parenting inspired by Magda Gerber’s RIE philosophy. Janet offers parents the opportunity to connect with their children in an authentic and nurturing way through real life examples in her book.

Janet Lansbury does an amazing job of normalizing developmentally appropriate toddler behaviors. She also helps parents recognize that toddler’s challenging behaviors are not “bad” but normal part of their development.

This was the first parenting book I read when our toddler was 13 months old. It was a great first read that opened my eyes to how much I didn’t know until then!

#2 The Whole Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel & Tina Payne Bryson

This gentle parenting book is about understanding your child’s brain development and how to help them regulate their emotions. It was written by two pediatricians, so it is packed with tons of scientific information that is easy to understand.

The authors explain that when our children are emotional, they aren’t using the rational part of their brain- which is why reasoning with them is futile. But, when we use gentle parenting techniques (like modeling calm behavior) we can help them get back to their rational brain and make better decisions.

Most gentle parenting books talk about the rational and emotional part of our brains, bit this book takes you a step further into the workings of that psychology. This book has been life changing for us!

You might also be interested in:

• Creating Boundaries with Your Child: A Refreshing Approach
• 8 Blog Posts to Help Moms Practice Gentle Parenting with Their Toddlers
• 10 Ways To Shift From Mainstream Parenting To Gentle Parenting

#3 Raising Your Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka

This book is about understanding and parenting children who are “spirited.” These kids often have more energy, are more persistent and intense than other kids, and can be a challenge to parent. The author of this book believes that these qualities are actually a blessing, and offer lots of advice on how to help your spirited child thrive.

One big takeaway from this book is that our kids are not trying to annoy us. They aren’t doing things on purpose- they just don’t know how to control their emotions yet! So when we get frustrated with them for acting out and being difficult, it is important to circle back and talk about what happened in the heat of the moment.

That is how we help them make different decision next time around.

#4 The Explosive Child by Ross Greene

The Explosive Child is one of my most recent reads and is about understanding and managing children who have explosive tempers. This book goes hand in hand with the Raising your Spirited Child, as it focuses on little humans who just don’t seem to respond to mainstream parenting advice. Despite geared towards more “difficult children”, the skills discussed applies to all families. I love this gentle parenting book because its easy to read and has a ton of real life examples.

The author, Ross W. Greene, Ph.D., believes that all kids do good when they now how to. Explosive children are a result of predisposed inflexibility and having more exaggerated stress response when struggling to meet situational expectations.

His Collaborative Problem Solving model suggests solving the problems that lead to explosive episodes with the child, as opposed to punishing them. This model also teaches kids the skills they may be missing to better regulate their emotions.

#5 Transforming The Difficult Child: The Nurtured Heart Approach by by Howard Glasser and Jennifer Easley

This book is about understanding and managing children who are “difficult.” The author, Howard Glasser, believes that all kids have the potential to be successful if they receive the right kind of support.

He suggests that we should not try to change our difficult children, but instead help them learn new ways to cope with their emotions. This can be accomplished by shifting your child to new patterns of behavior.

“Difficult” children are often highly sensitive to everything around them- making daily life overwhelming at times. So the key is helping them feel safe which gentle parenting techniques are very good at.

#6 How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish

This gentle parenting book is about communication with our children. The author, Adele Faber, believes that the key to successful parenting is effective communication.

She offers a step-by-step guide on how to get your child to listen (and actually understand) what you are saying. And her tips for listening to our kids effectively have helped me out a lot!

ps. there is a second version of this book geared specifically for toddlers.

One big takeaway from this book is that we should avoid using “Power Struggles” to get our point across. When we try to force our children to do something, it just leads to more arguing and frustration on both ends.

Instead, we should focus on building a strong relationship with our kids where they feel comfortable coming to us with anything. Only then will they be more likely to actually listen and follow our advice.

–>You can also check out my post on Gentle Parenting for Beginners<–

#7 No Drama Discipline by Daniel J. Siegel & Tina Payne Bryson

The No-Drama Discipline method provides a fresh approach to disciplining children by emphasizing the importance of teaching over punishment. This brain based parenting program reduces drama and guides parents how build deeper relationships with their kids in minutes each day!

This gentle parenting book offers a step-by-step guide on how to do this with gentle and positive discipline techniques.

One big takeaway from this book is that we should never use punishment as a way of teaching our children what is right or wrong. It also emphasizes the importance of recognizing when we as parents are too emotionally charged to help the situation.

You might also like:

• 5 Essential Reasons Gentle Parenting Is Better Than Mainstream
• 60 Positive Things To Say To Your Child That Really Matter (+printable)
• 7 Ways to Stop Yelling At The Kids

Gentle Parenting Books I love

In a world where we’re all so busy, it can be hard to find the time to read. But I promise you that reading gentle parenting books will change your relationship with both yourself and your child.

There are a lot of options out there but here is a list of ideas for getting started on what might work best for yo. Plus as an added bonus for moms who want to practice better parenting with their toddler now or in the future – download this free printable PDF guide from Gentle Parenting 101!

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