Parenting Toddlers

The first 40 days after the birth of a child offer an essential and fleeting period of rest and recovery for the new mother. Based on author Heng Ou's own postpartum experience with zuo yuezi, a set period of “confinement”, in which a woman remains at home focusing on healing and bonding with her baby, The First Forty Days revives the lost art of caring for the mother after birth.

Reassuring to parents and educators, Einstein Never Used Flash Cards shows why - and how - to step away from the cult of achievement and toward a more nurturing home life full of imaginative play and love of learning. Here's the message that stressed-out parents are craving to hear: It's okay to play! In fact, it's more than just okay - it's better than drilling academics. After decades of research, scientists and child development experts have come to a clear conclusion: Play is the best way for children to learn.

Baby-led weaning is the healthy, natural way to start your baby on solid foods - no stress, no fuss, no mush! Ten years ago, Baby-Led Weaning ended the myth that babies need to be spoon-fed purees. In fact, at about six months, most babies are ready to discover solid food for themselves. Today, baby-led weaning (BLW) is a global phenomenon - and this 10th anniversary edition of the definitive guide explains all its benefits.

Over the past few years, Brianna Wiest has gained renown for her deeply moving, philosophical writing. This new compilation of her published work features pieces on why you should pursue purpose over passion, embrace negative thinking, see the wisdom in daily routine, and become aware of the cognitive biases that are creating the way you see your life. Some of these pieces have never been seen; others have been read by millions of people around the world. Regardless, each will leave you thinking: This idea changed my life.

Over her decades as a clinical psychologist, Dr. Mona Delahooke has routinely counseled distraught parents who struggle to manage their children’s challenging, sometimes oppositional behaviors. These families are understandably focused on correcting or improving a child’s lack of compliance, emotional outbursts, tantrums, and other “out of control” behavior. But, as she has shared with these families, a perspective shift is needed. Behavior, no matter how challenging, is not the problem but a symptom; a clue about what is happening in a child’s unique physiologic makeup.

Do you deal with nightly toddler tantrums? Do you dread trips to the grocery store? Are you battling behaviors to the point that you are having a hard time enjoying the precious gift of parenting? As a parent, it is your job to help your toddler navigate through the tide of strong emotions he or she will experience. This is not an easy task because the emotional life of an infant is complex. This year, they are beginning to experience feelings like pride, shame, guilt, and embarrassment for the first time.

In What to Do When You're Having Two, national twins guru and founder of Twiniversity, and mother of twins herself, Natalie Diaz provides a no-holds-barred resource about life with twins, from pregnancy and birth all the way through your duo's first year of life. Funny, reassuring, full of stories and advice, and packed with tried-and-true tips from the trenches, this is the must-have survival guide for parents of twins.

Learn gentle, loving, tear-free techniques and a proven formula, developed by world-renowned parenting expert Elizabeth Pantley and tested by hundreds of families around the world, to allow your baby, toddler, or preschooler to get daily restorative rest essential for their mood, well-being, and development.

The saying "babies don't come with a manual" may be true - but newborn books are a good place to start. Parenting is a process of phases and milestones, and newborn books are invaluable. Each new stage, as important as the last, serves as a building process for years of parental education and care. The Newborn Handbook will gently and sequentially lead you through each week of caring for a newborn in the first three months - the weeks and months that can be both exhilarating as well as nerve-racking.

We live in a culture that hails motherhood as a woman's crowning achievement yet defines men first and foremost by their professional accomplishments, treating fatherhood as almost incidental - a bonus. But from her years spent as a pediatrician listening to children's needs and fears, Dr. Meeker understands just how crucial a father's role is.

Faber and King have tailored How to Talk’s tried-and-trusted communication strategies to some of the most challenging childhood moments. From tantrums to technology to talking to kids about tough topics, How to Talk When Kids Won’t Listen offers concrete strategies for these and many more difficult situations.

Two developmental psychologists/language experts offer parents a powerfully insightful guide to how infants - even while in the womb - begin to learn language.

Psychotherapists and sleep specialists Jennifer and Jill, the dynamic "girlfriends" all of Hollywood calls on to solve Junior's sleep problems, have perfected their sleep technique that will get any child snoozing in no time - most often in fewer than three nights. The key to their method? It addresses the emotional needs of both the parent and the child (yes, how to handle the crying!) - a critical component of why most other sleep methods fail.

Babies don't automatically know how to sleep through the night; they need to be taught. The Sears family has learned from decades of pediatric practice, bolstered by their own parenting experiences, that different babies have different nighttime temperaments - and, of course, different families have different lifestyles. Instead of espousing the kind of "one method fits all" approach advocated in other baby sleep guides, the Sears family explains how you can create a sleep plan that suits the needs of your entire family.

Bunmi Laditan's hilarious, satirical guide to toddlerhood offers parents instant (and very welcome) comic relief - along with the very good news that It's Not Your Fault. Chapters cover the cost of raising a toddler, feeding your toddler, potty training, tantrums, how to manage the holidays, and "how not to die inside".

So the baby period is over and all those gorgeous baby smiles and tender moments of nursing your little bundle of joy have slowly but surely been replaced by the raging torrent of toddlerhood. How on earth did the light of your life turn into a little bundle of mischief with uncontrollable bouts of willful abandon?

Each time she knelt to "catch" another wriggling baby - nearly 3,000 times during her remarkable career - California midwife Peggy Vincent paid homage to the moment when pain bows to joy and the world makes way for one more. With every birth, she encounters another woman-turned-goddess: Catherine rides out her labor in a car careening down a mountain road. Sofia spends hers trying to keep her hyper doctor-father from burning down the house. Susannah gives birth so quietly that neither husband nor midwife notice until there's a baby in the room.

Why do some children thrive and others struggle? The answers may surprise you. New research indicates that the seeds for adult success are actually planted in the toddler years. Dr. Tovah Klein's research and firsthand work with thousands of toddlers explains why the toddler brain is best suited to laying the foundation for success. Dr. Klein reveals the new science behind drivers such as resilience, self-reliance, self-regulation, and empathy that are more critical to success than simple intelligence.

Drawing on her 25-plus years of experience in the assessment and treatment of common sleep problems in children, Dr. Jodi A. Mindell provides tips and techniques, the answers to commonly asked questions, and case studies and quotes from parents who have successfully solved their children's sleep problems. Unlike other books on the subject, Dr. Mindell also offers practical tips on bedtime, rather than middle-of-the-night-sleep training, and shows how all members of the family can cope with the stresses associated with teaching a child to sleep.

This cover-to-cover (including the cover!) new edition is filled with must-have information, advice, insight, and tips for a new generation of moms and dads. With What to Expect’s trademark warmth, empathy, and humor, it answers every conceivable question expecting parents could have, including dozens of new ones based on the ever-changing pregnancy and birthing practices and choices they face. Advice for dads is fully integrated throughout the book.