What books should I read about parenting?
Parenting books (like all books) can be a hugely contentious subject, with some parents swearing by the tips of one, only for others to regard it as useless. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to parenting, and as such there isn't one best parenting book or even list of parenting books which will solve all the possible questions, issues, problems that parents may face. Having said that, there are certain books which crop up time and time again on the Mumsnet forums in answer to the question of 'which parenting book is best' and we've done our best to reflect those books here.
When should I start reading parenting books?
As a general rule, it's probably best to start reading the early years parenting books during pregnancy as once the baby arrives it can prove extremely tricky to find the time (and concentration) for reading anything. Why not make it part of your self-care routine after applying your favourite skincare for pregnancy products?
Having said that, there probably isn't much point cracking out your guide to teenage years while you're still in the throes of pregnancy, newborns and nappies (for one thing all the advice will probably be scarily out of date by the time it becomes relevant).
Where do I start with parenting books?
With so many parenting books to choose from it can be hard to know where to start. Here’s some things to take into account when making your choice:
Area of focus: Are you looking for one book that covers everything from pregnancy to teenagers, or are you happy to read a book focused on a specific stage such as communication, potty training, starting school, growing up?
Format: We’ve linked to the paperback copies and Kindle/e-readers, but audiobooks are also becoming an increasingly popular format (and can be a great option for busy parents-to-be) so it could be worth checking whether your book of choice comes in this format too.
Expert author?: What is the expertise of the author and can you trust their advice? Look for books written from reliable sources of information, particularly if they are focused on a particular approach to parenting, i.e. psychological.
Ease of reading: Look for books that have short chapters, easy to read formatting or bitesized chunks of information. These are much easier to dip in and out of as you wish and make some of the more overwhelming information easier to digest. A non-preachy, approachable tone is always a winner in our eyes too. Parenting is hard enough without being preached at, right?!
What are your preferences?: It's always a good idea to know what sort of parenting tips you don't want - i.e., if you are against sleep training, don't go for an author known to advocate controlled crying.
How we chose our recommendations
There are a huge number of parenting books to choose from, some covering pregnancy up to the first few months of babyhood and others going right through to the parenting of young adults.
In order to make sure we were confident with our recommendations, we thoroughly investigated expert online reviews and tried and tested experiences on retailer sites such as Amazon and Waterstones, as well as our Mumsnetters' own recommendations on the best parenting books they read and enjoyed. We also paid close attention to parenting books with updated editions to ensure our recommendations for the best parenting books reflected advice and tips that were as relevant to modern-day parents as possible, particularly when it came to books about older children and teenagers.
We researched the pros and cons of each parenting book, including its format, the complexity of the information and the reputations of the authors. Finally we looked at which parenting books worked best for each scenario to bring you our final list of recommendations.
About the author
Mum-of-three Jenny Wonnacott is a Content Editor for Mumsnet, specialising in writing, editing and optimising pregnancy care and child play content.
Before joining the content team at Mumsnet, Jenny worked as a journalist for newspapers, radio, TV and b2b trades magazines for over a decade. She is also a bestselling sci-fi author (writing as J M Briscoe) and parenting blogger.
As a parent of three primary school-aged children, Jenny is passionate about making Mumsetters' lives easier through rigorous research of all items recommended in buyers' guides such as these, as well as product reviews and expert advice on all things pregnancy and child play related.
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