Amy's Reading List for Parents
Posted on Mon, Mar 14, 2011
I have a whole bookshelf dedicated to books on music, early childhood education, parenting, etc. It's almost impossible to keep up with all the information out there on various topics, so I thought I'd compile a list of my favorites to share with you. Those of you who live locally are welcome to borrow these books at any time--just let me know what you'd like to read. Please add your own favorites to this list, too. Any great books that I've missed or that you would recommend for other people? Here goes. . .
For sleep issues, my favorite book is Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth. I think I've read every sleep book there is--this was a major issue for me with my first child. This book became my bible (and my kids will tell you that 10 years later, I'm still neurotic about sleep--theirs and mine!).
For feeding/eating, I love Ellyn Satter's Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense. She has other excellent books on this same topic so have a look at all of them to see which best fits your situation.
For discipline, my favorite book is Becoming the Parent You Want to Be by Laura Davis & Janis Keyser. I love their approach to figuring out what your values are first, and then applying that information to various discipline issues. I relied on this book heavily with both of my children during their first 5 years. You can jump in and out of this one, as needed--don't worry if you can't read it cover-to-cover.
I have one child who has some sensory integration issues. For those of you who don't what this is, think of a child who has complained about scratchy socks or only wants to eat soft, white foods. It could be a child who is sensitive to loud noises or who is easily over-stimulated. This is a very simplistic explanation, and the issues can be significant so I don't mean to make this sound like it's just about "picky" or "complaining" children. Bottom line, for the first 5-7 years of their lives, children learn almost everything through their sensorimotor skills, so we can all benefit from some knowledge in this area. My favorite book in this category is Growing an In-Sync Child by Carol Kranowitz and Joye Newman.
For anyone who has a "difficult" child (I hate that term, but you know who you are if you have one--I definitely have one of these!), I recommend How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish. This book was life-changing for my husband and re-affirming for me.
For books about boys (I have 2 boys, so I've read them all--does anyone have books they recommend about girls?), I'm hard-pressed to pick my favorite, but anything by Michael Gurian would be at the top of my list.
What have I forgotten? Please add comments if you have any other to add to the list. Happy Reading!
- posted by Amy Shinohara, Director of Hearts & Minds Music
