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The Best List of Parenting Books

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Parenting involves individual preferences, cultural influences, and scientific studies that are reflected in the many books on this topic. 

Book

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Author Rating Reviews
Touchpoints : Your Child's Emotional and Behavioral Development T. Berry Brazelton M.D., T. Berry Brazelton 9.2 Recognizes individuality of every child in its approach.
The Baby Book : Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby from Birth to Age Two William Sears, Martha Sears 9.2 Lots of information difficult to find elsewhere.  The author supports a respectful, loving parenting style which acknowledges parenting as a difficult but satisfying job.
Perfect Parenting : The Dictionary of 1,000 Parenting Tips Elizabeth Pantley 9.0 Dictionary-style reference book.
Caring for Your Baby and Young Child : Birth to Age 5 The American Academy of Pediatrics 8.8 Written by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), this books receives high marks for being informative and scientifically accurate.  Of course, even scientific studies can sometimes express only one side of an issue.
Parenting the Fussy Baby and the High-Need Child : Everything You Need to Know - From Birth to Age Five William Sears, Martha Sears 8.8 Excellent suggestions for dealing with a high-needs child, but may be useful for all.
Your One-Year-Old : The Fun-Loving, Fussy 12-To 24-Month-Old Louise Bates Ames, Frances L. Ilg, Carol Chase Haber 8.5 This is one of a series with similar titles ("Your _____-Year-Old") that gives insight into the developmental stages and behaviors of your child as he/she grows.
The First Twelve Months of Life : Your Baby's Growth Month by Month Frank Caplan, Theresa Caplan 8.2 Good discussions with developmental emphasis.
Nighttime Parenting : A LA Leche League International Book William, MD Sears, Mary White 8.2 Acknowledging that parenting is a 24/7 job, discusses the best way to care for your child at night - proponent of co-sleeping as a natural behavior that instills confidence.
What to Expect the First Year Arlene Eisenberg, Heidi E. Murkoff, Sandee Eisenberg Hathaway 6.0 Discusses some useful issues in a question and answer format... proponent of letting a baby "cry-it-out", which even the author acknowledges can be emotionally detrimental to some.
On Becoming Baby Wise: Learn How over 500000 Babies Were Trained to Sleep Through the Night the Natural Way Gary Ezzo (Preface), Robert Bucknam 6.0 Criticized as one of the "convenience parenting" books, it suggests allowing more baby-free time for the parents by scheduling the gratification of a babies' requests.  The success stories may be unrelated to the method, as babies naturally tend to sleep better after several months of age.