Best Parenting Books: Top Picks for 2023
Whether you are in the trenches of potty training, are trying to teach your kids empathy, or need the magic formula to co-parent with your ex, one thing is certain: You. Want. Answers.
With the overwhelming amount of information on the internet and the slew of parenting books that make their home on Amazon, it’s nearly impossible to sift through the online bookshelves to find the help you need.
As an author myself, I get asked all the time, “Amy, what are your favorite parenting books?!” Well, my friend, it’s nearly impossible to give you all of my favorites, but here are a FEW I know you will love.
From general parenting advice to tackling specific struggles, this list of books will help you navigate many of the parenting issues you’re facing.
Here are our top picks for 2023:
1. Thrivers: The Surprising Reasons Why Some Kids Struggle While Other Kids Shine
By Dr. Michele Borba
After the popularity of her first book, UnSelfie, Michele is back to discuss why some kids are more successful than others.
Kids today are bigger and better achievers than ever before. But–not coincidentally– they aren’t any happier.
Those that do “thrive,” however, have a few essential character traits in common. And thankfully, these traits can be taught!
Thrivers, now available in paperback, dives into each of these attributes and helps parents and educators understand what kids really need to persevere.
2. Social Justice Parenting: How to Raise Compassionate, Anti-Racist, Justice-Minded Kids in an Unjust World
By Dr. Traci Baxley
By Dr. Traci BaxleyRaising responsible kids is more than ensuring their self-sufficiency. As Baxley so brilliantly discusses, it’s about creating a better world for themselves and others.
The biggest changes in our society often begin one step at a time, at the hands of socially enlightened and educated children.
3. The Explosive Child: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children
By Ross W. Greene, PhD
Do you feel like your child is out of control? Does your child often respond to problems by crying, screaming, swearing, hitting, etc? If you’ve tried everything and nothing seems to work, please get your hands on this book.
This compassionate, thoughtful, and practical book will give you the roadmap you need to diffuse these destructive behaviors in the moment and prevent them from happening in the future.
Dr. Greene will help you understand why traditional parenting methods of punishment and rewards don’t work with explosive children, and what to do instead.
4. Brain-Body Parenting: How to Stop Managing Behavior and Start Raising Joyful, Resilient Kids 
By Mona Delahooke, PhD
Dr. Delahooke reminds us that behavior itself is not a problem, but rather a symptom. When we stop parenting so reactively, we have a chance to focus on what really matters and bring change and purpose to our children’s actions.
Managing our own expectations, by learning about how our children’s brains are constantly working and developing, furthers our ability to empathize, understand, and help our children effectively.
5. The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids In a Culture of Dependence
By Jessica Lahey
It’s critical not only to talk to kids about substance abuse, but to fortify them against it.
Through comprehensive research, Jessica illustrates that a few solid strategies can be the difference between a child’s crippling addiction or healthy self-control.
The dangers are out there, but Jessica’s recommendations will help give you insight and a clear path forward. Don’t lose another night of sleep worrying about possible substance abuse!
6. Your Turn: How to Be an Adult
By Julie Lythcott-Haims
Kids aren’t automatically adults at age 18. It takes time and patience to earn that grown-up title.
In addition, what defines an “adult” is ever-changing.
Julie has worked with undergraduate students for years; that critical age when young adults may be old enough to make their own decisions, but aren’t always ready to do so.
Julie stresses that becoming an adult is a hard-earned, but rewarding, process. Thankfully, this guide helps big kids every step of the way.
8. Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen
By Michelle Icard
Talking to tweens and teens can feel like walking on eggshells. They seem easily annoyed, bored, offended–and simply uninterested in what parents have to say.
Building a safe and trusting relationship with your growing kids–and preparing them appropriately for the modern world around them–requires conversations full of nuance and care.
Michelle guides you confidently through these tough, but necessary, topics.
9. Positive Discipline: The Classic Guide to Helping Children Develop Self-Discipline, Responsibility, Cooperation, and Problem-Solving Skills
By Jane Nelsen, Ed.D.
By Jane Nelsen, Ed.D.Jane Nelsen is the mother of Positive Discipline – the books, training, and methodology based on the work of Alfred Adler, MD.
Jane’s background as a psychologist, educator, and mother of seven make her a trusted voice in parenting. In this book (and in all the books authored and co-authored by Jane) she shares practical strategies to help parents and teachers be both kind and firm, loving and consistent.
The key to Positive Discipline is not punishment, she tells us, but mutual respect. Jane will teach you strategies to get compliance from your children while still saving their dignity.
10. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
By Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.
After a quick search of the title, you may be thinking, “Wait a second! That’s not a parenting book!” Before you stop reading, my friend, let’s get something straight: parenting, like most things in life, is all about mindset.
If YOU want to be a successful parent and you want to raise successful kids, then this book has EVERYTHING to do with parenting.
In this brilliant book, Dr. Dweck shows how success in almost every human endeavor (parenting included) can be dramatically influenced by how we think about our talents and abilities.
People with a fixed mindset–those who believe that abilities are fixed–are less likely to flourish than those with a growth mindset–those who believe that abilities can be developed. This must-read book reveals how great parents and teachers can put this idea to use to foster outstanding accomplishments in their kids.
11. The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind
By Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. and Tina Payne Bryson, M.D.
By understanding what’s happening in your child’s brain, Dr. Siegel and Dr. Bryson give you strategies that work with your child’s brain instead of against it. By implementing these 12 strategies, you’ll help foster healthy brain development that leads to calmer, happier children.
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 your children can lead balanced, meaningful, and connected lives.
12. The Conscious Parent: Transforming Ourselves, Empowering Our Children
By Dr. Shefali Tsabary
In this book, Dr. Tsabary helps parents get in tune with their own psychological and emotional awareness. By encouraging parents to look in the mirror, Tsabary helps parents understand why it’s important to be conscious of our own histories in order to pass along a positive wholeness to our children.
This book serves as a holistic approach to parenting, rather than a quick fix, but will help parents and children engage in a mutually loving relationship rather than a hierarchical one.
13. Oh Crap! I Have a Toddler: Tackling These Crazy Awesome Years – No Time Outs Needed
By Jamie Glowacki
Jamie’s newest book moves beyond Oh Crap! Potty Training: Everything Modern Parents Need to Know to Do It Once and Do It Right to the hearty subject of cute, yet confounding, toddlers.
Perhaps the secret to understanding toddler behavior–like infamous tantrums–is dissecting how these tykes are trying to learn about themselves and the world around them. They aren’t trying to be bad.
But, you can bet they are already trying to be independent.
14. How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk
By Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
This gem is a must-read for any parent who frequently finds themselves in the throes of a power struggle. This book is easy-to-read and packed with practical steps you can take to resolve conflict and improve cooperation from your children.
Filled with exact scripts and real-life examples, you’ll learn how to talk with your kids in a way that diffuses their anger and allows you to reconnect with their sweet, loving side.
15. Siblings Without Rivalry: How to Help Your Children Live Together So You Can Live Too
By Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
Adele and Elaine bring sound wisdom again in this second book! As parents themselves, they were determined to help their children get along. The result was Siblings Without Rivalry.
With the help of scripts and cartoons, they teach you how to manage the competition in a way that feels fair to all children.
This book offers practical strategies to improve cooperation among your children and reduce feelings of competition – all while helping your children connect to build lifelong friendships.
16. Parenting Apart: How Separated and Divorced Parents Can Raise Happy and Secure Kids
By Christina McGhee
Oh, sweet friend. If you are co-parenting or parenting apart from your ex, you NEED this book. This is the book every child of divorce wishes their parents would read!
Christina tackles all of the biggest issues of divorce and separation and helps you make a game plan for parenting your kids. You’ll learn:
- How and when to tell the children about the divorce
- How to guide children through family change
- How to help children cope with having two homes
- Deal with finances
- Manage a difficult relationship with an ex
- And more…so much more!
This book is relevant no matter what age your children are!
17. The Sleep Lady’s Good Night, Sleep Tight: Gentle Proven Solutions to Help your Child Sleep Well and Wake Up Happy
By Kim West, LCSW-C with Joanne Kenen
Are you losing sleep over your bedtime routine? Don’t worry, The Sleep Lady has got you covered from infants to bigger kids. This step-by-step guide helps you tackle even the toughest bedtime struggles so you and your children can get the sleep you need, without any of the frustration leading up to it.
Having helped thousands of parents tackle the bedtime routine, The Sleep Lady is a trusted resource in the world of sleep training.
18. The Argument Hangover: Empowering Couples to Fight Smarter & Overcome Communication Pitfalls
By Jocelyn & Aaron Freeman
If you’re parenting with a partner and have trouble getting on the same page, this book is for you! The Freemans are world-renowned relationship experts and will help you make the most out of your adult relationship, so you and your parenting partner can do the best you can for your kids!
In this relatable, no b.s. book for couples, the Freemans explain what an argument hangover is, what causes it, and how to clearly communicate your needs to feel understood–without having to change each other.
This modern guide includes step-by-step tools and exercises you can implement right away, so you can handle the challenges that so many couples face today. Topics include:
- Why conflict doesn’t have to be something you avoid
- How to keep arguments from escalating
- How to resolve those nagging two or three disagreements that keep coming up
Embrace conflict and grow from it with the right communication skills―and say goodbye to argument hangovers once and for all.
19. No More Mean Girls: The Secret to Raising Strong, Confident, and Compassionate Girls
By Katie Hurley
In this self-promoting, digital age we live in, it’s incredibly difficult to raise daughters who are able to confidently separate themselves from society’s views of who they should be. When girls feel insecure and devalued, these feelings often manifest in ways that put other girls down instead of lifting them up.
Luckily, Katie provides actionable steps to help parents empower young girls to be kind, confident leaders who work together and build each other up.
Katie will help you and your daughter navigate this consumer world so she can discern what positive traits she can offer this world. By empowering your daughter to focus on her strengths, you’ll increase her self-confidence and ability to lead other girls well.
I hope this list helps you sort through the millions of parenting books on the shelves and that you’ll find them helpful! These authors and teachers are incredibly wise, and you can trust that they are offering sound advice. I’ve also written a couple of books that could be helpful to you, too!
The “Me, Me, Me” Epidemic: A Step-by-Step Guide to Raising Capable, Grateful Kids in an Over-Entitled World
In today’s 24/7, often over-stimulated, over-indulged, can’t get enough culture – many parents struggle to find the means to not only say “no” – but to connect with their kids in a way that allows them to better learn to be RESPECTFUL, RESPONSIBLE, and READY to meet a world where frankly, it’s NOT all about them.
In this book, I outline the step-by-step strategies for empowering your kids without indulging them. Fueling their spirit – not just funding their wish lists. Building bonds that can last a lifetime. Fostering compassion for others, rather than focusing on themselves. And parenting in powerfully positive, proactive, life-changing ways.
If I Have to Tell You One More Time…: The Revolutionary Program that Gets Your Kids to Listen Without Nagging, Reminding, or Yelling
In this best-selling book, I point to one of the all-time great paradoxes of parenting: giving our children more power–not less–can put an end to power struggles in the home.
Drawing on Adlerian psychology, I explain that every human being has a basic need to feel powerful–with children being no exception to the rule. And when this need isn’t met in positive ways, kids will resort to negative methods, which often result in some of the most frustrating behavior they exhibit.
Inside these pages, you’ll find step-by-step tools and instructions to diffuse the power struggles in your home!
If, after reading through some of these books, you’re still looking for answers, I’d encourage you to join us for a FREE ONLINE CLASS and learn how to get your kids to listen without nagging, reminding, or yelling! We are always here to help you on your parenting journey!
What You Should Do Next:
1. Subscribe to my Newsletter:
Sign up for my newsletter for parenting tips to help you create a happier home and become the parent you always wanted to be. Plus, when you subscribe, I'll also send you a copy of our strategy-packed guide 10 Tips for Better Behavior – Starting NOW!
2. Register for my FREE 60-Minute Class:
Register for my free class called How to Get Kids to Listen, Without Nagging, Yelling or Losing Control. Classes run several times per week but I recommend you register early, as spaces are limited.
3. Enroll in my 7-Step Parenting Success System® Course
Enroll now in my proven 7-step system for busy parents ready for change (it's rated 5 stars on Google). Plus, for a limited time, save 10% plus get a FREE upgrade on all plans—completely risk-free and with lifetime access.
About the Author
