Ain’t Misbehavin:  Tactics for Tantrums, Meltdowns, Bedtime Blues and Other Perfectly Normal Kid Behaviors. Alyson Schafer, $17.95

This practical book offers a democratic approach to parenting, with ideas to help you manage every day, real-life misbehaviors. Here are the quick and humane solutions to the most common dilemmas of parenting young children that parents need.

Becoming the Parent You Want to Be: a Sourcebook of Strategies for the First Five Years. Laura Davis & Janis Keyser, $27.95

One of our favourite books on parenting young children! Respectful, informative and inspiring, Becoming the Parent You Want to Be is full of practical insights into children and into our own journey as parents. This is a practical book that covers so much ground you'll want to read it many times over.

Beyond Time-Out: From Chaos to Calm. Beth Grosshans, $16.50

Tame tantrums, calm fears, instill good sleep habits, end food battles, overcome potty problems with this five-step program that helps you be a more effective parent and helps children feel safe, happy and confident.

Canada’s Toddler Care Book: a Complete Guide from 1 to 5 Years Old. Dr. Jeremy Friedman, Hospital for Sick Children, $34.95

The complete guide to health care, developmental milestones, nutrition, Canada’s Toddler Care Book addresses the common concerns that all parents have about ther toddlers and preschoolers.

The Canadian Paediatric Society Guide to Caring for Your Child from Birth to Age Five. Diane Sacks, Editor, $29.99

This extensive guide empowers parents to make informed decisions about their child’s well-being by laying out the information in an engaging and informative way. Emphasis is placed on health, development, injury prevention and nutrition.

Organized into age-specific sections, the book features a modular format that allows parents or caregivers to jump in and out with just the information they need. This type of easy-to-apply advice will make this a “go to” resource for generations to come.

Child: How Children Think, Learn and Grow in the Early Years. Desmond Morris, $35.99

Anthropologist Desmond Morris explores the world of young children aged from 2 to 5 as they emerge from toddlerhood and start out on the long road to independence. These early years are a time when the capacities for learning and sheer exuberance for life are unparalleled.  

This insightful guide contains a wealth of information about all aspects of development. Age-by-stage profiles describe growth patterns, social and emotional behavior, physical and cognitive skills. Gestures and body language are interpreted to guide the reader to a better understanding of personality and what young children are thinking and feeling. Enchanting photographs capture typical actions and reactions to everyday experiences.

Child Sense. Priscilla Dunstan, $32.00

Child Sense shows parents of young children how to use the five senses to make sleeping, eating, dressing and other everyday activities easier. Uncovering the secrets of your child’s sensory personality helps parents understand the way their child instinctively reacts to experiences, people, food, smells and more. By discovering the effects of sensory overload, parents can better understand their child’s behavior, communication and learning styles.

Dealing with Disappointment: Helping Kids Cope When Things Don't Go Their Way. Elizabeth Crary, $15.95

This practical, easy-to-read guide walks parents through the concept of emotional competency, which begins by teaching children to identify and acknowledge their feelings. It provides exercises and examples that demonstrate how children — even toddlers — can cope with their emotions, using self-calming techniques (exercise or a few minutes with a favorite book, for example) and problem-solving tools. Parents who to often find themselves overwhelmed by frustrated children will appreciate the step-by-step recommendations.

Drawing the Line: Ten Steps to Constructive Discipline and Achieving a Great Relationship with Your Kids. Michael Weiss, Sheldon Wagner with Susan Goldberg, $22.99

Whether it's playtime, mealtime, or bedtime when your kids act up, this book will show you solutions based on the experiences of parents just like you, and a method of creating controlled conflict — which eventually leads to no conflict at all.

The Everything® Parent's Guide to Tantrums. Joni Levine, $16.50

15 Minutes Outside: 365 Ways to Get Out of the House and Connect with Your Kids. Rebecca Cohen, $16.99

What if you got outside every day, and what if you could get your kids to come along? It sounds modest, but the effects, as dynamic outdoor spokesperson Rebecca Cohen herself can testify, are profound. This inspiring collection of activities gives families an idea for every day of the year, requiring little planning, no expertise and relatively little resources (time, cash, or patience!), no matter where they live. Simple and inspiring, this book is bursting with hundreds of easy ways to get your family out into nature a little bit every day.

50 Fantastic Things to Do with Pre-Schoolers. Sally & Phill Featherstone, $27.00

Playtime is fun time — and it offers lots of opportunities for preschoolers to learn. Each activity in this fun book features related facts about your child’s development and suggestions for more delightful ideas that will encourage exploration of their world.

From Crib to Kindergarten: the Essential Child Safety Guide. Dorothy Drago, $17.00

From Crib to Kindergarten is an essential guide for parents, grandparents, teachers, caregivers and babysitters. Illustration, checklists and critical information are provided on creating safe environments and dealing with daily activities.

Growing Up! A Parent’s Guide to Childhood. Edited by Kate Cronan, $22.95

Practical advice and information on parenting children ages three to 14.

Challenge and delight children from the ages of 3 to 6 with these clever activities packed creative play ideas.

Help! There’s a Toddler in the House. Thomas Reimers, $18.95

Proven strategies to survive and thrive through the mischief, mayhem and meltdowns.

A practical and informative handbook, filled with examples of everyday problem situations and concerns. The Incredible Years provides guidelines to help parents deal with behavioral problems of children aged 3-8 years.

Webster-Stratton's book is frequently used as the basic text in parent education groups.

Is It a Big Problem or a Little Problem? When to Worry, When Not to Worry, and What to Do. Amy Egan, Amy Freedman, Judi Greenberg, & Sharon Anderson, $17.50

As a parent, you know that differences in children’s learning styles and temperaments are a given. However, when problem behaviors become the ‘norm’ for a child, a red flag should go up. If they affect a child’s ability to be happy, relate to others, and go about his daily life, there may be a real problem. Is It a Big Problem or a Little Problem is your road map through these ups and downs of early childhood.

Keeping Your Child in Mind. Claudia Gold, $17.50

Overcoming defiance, tantrums and other everyday behavior problems by seeing the world through your child's eyes.

Keys to Parenting Your Anxious Child, 2nd Edition. Katharina Manassis, $10.99

Still the most-popular, accessible and comprehensive guide to the entire range of childhood anxieties, the specific problem behaviours associated with anxiety, and the appropriate strategies for supporting anxious children.

Kitchen Table Play & Learn: Activities and Lesson for Building Your Preschooler’s Vital Development Skills. Tara Copley & Andrea Custer, $17.95

Kitchen Table Play & Learn gives you structured yet fun activities to teach your preschoolers the basics of education at home. These 30 lessons include games and activities that develop children's motor skills, number and letter recognition, logic, and visual discrimination, as well as expose them to math, writing, and reading.

How do children learn about the world around them? They touch, taste, see, smell and hear it, of course! With over 200 activities, Learning Games will delight children as they expand their learning by engaging all of their senses. The chapters are organized by each of the five senses, with a bonus chapter of multi-sensory activities.

When the kids are bored and acting up, wise parents will keep their cool with this clever collection of silly, unexpected and fun games, facts and activities designed to entertain kids aged 2–7. Mama's Little Book of Tricks features more than 100 clever ideas for simple and inexpensive activities that are appropriate for restaurants, the supermarket, the doctor’s office, camping trips and long plane or car rides.

Nature’s Playground: Activities, Crafts and Games to Encourage Children to Get Outdoors. Fiona Danks & Jo Schofeld, $21.95

This wonderful book leads parents, teachers and children through fields, across streams, and over mountains. From making a dam with sticks and stones to cairn lanterns on the beach at night, Nature’s Playground is packed with activities, games, crafts and adventures that will bring children outdoors for year-round fun and bring back memories of one of the chief joys of childhood for adults — exploring the natural world.

The No-Cry Discipline Solution: Gentle Ways to Encourage Good Behavior Without Whining, Tantrums & Tears. Elizabeth Pantley, $20.95

Practical and specific, The No-Cry Discipline Solution shows you how to deal with your child's behavior. Written with warmth and based on one important fact — parents know their children best — Elizabeth Pantley shows you how to deal with childhood's most common behavioral problems.

The No-Cry Separation Anxiety Solution. Elizabeth Pantley, $19.95

Gentle ways to make good-bye easy, from six months to six years.

1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12 Workbook. Thomas Phelan & Tracy Lewis, $17.95

This user-friendly manual includes chapter reviews, case studies, self-evaluation questions and planning exercises to help parents get the most out of the 1-2-3 Magic program.

The Parent Survival Guide: from Chaos to Harmony in Ten Weeks or Less. Theresa Kellam, $21.95

In The Parent Survival Guide, psychologist Theresa Kellam presents a way to strengthen the relationship with the child that simultaneously promotes the parent's own emotional healing and wellness. Grounded in a research-supported therapeutic technique that uses structured play time as the catalyst for interpersonal connection and growth, Kellam gives parents the skills they need to begin to set aside special playtimes with their children, during which the most important part of the process is simply "being there" in a way that promotes healing, growth, and communication

Parenting From the Inside Out: How a Deeper Self-Understanding Can Help You Raise Children Who Thrive. Daniel Siegel & Mary Hartzell, $16.50

Drawing on research in neurobiology, attachment theory and child development, authors Siegel and Hartzell explore the extent to which our childhood experiences shape the way we parent. They explain how these early relationships affect the development of the brain and offer parents a step-by-step approach to forming a deeper understanding of their own life stories that will help them in raising compassionate and resilient children.

Parenting Preschoolers with a Purpose: Caring for Your Kids & Yourself. Jolene Roehlkepartain, $18.95

Parenting Preschoolers with a Purpose offers refreshing suggestions for parents of 3–5 year olds.

With innovative approaches to 40 common challenges, Roehlkepartain offers a fresh perspective on preschooler-specific difficulties such as bed-wetting, sibling rivalry and lying. Parenting Preschoolers with a Purpose teaches parents how to build a web of support with their family, friends and community to promote the physical, social and emotional well-being of both child and parent. Roehlkepartain discusses 15 common issues that parents face, such as sleep deprivation and boredom, and provides simple, effective solutions to each adult dilemma.

The Preschooler Problem Solver: Tackling Tough and Tricky Transitions with Your Two to Five Year Old. Carol Baicker-McKee, $19.95

Learn to make the most of these magical years by helping your child successfully negotiate new situations and to manage their expectations — and yours!

Red Flags or Red Herrings? Predicting Who Your Child Will Become. Susan Engel, $27.99

Susan Engel draws on her years of experience as a developmental psychologist, educator, and mother to help parents stop worrying about their young children's future and stop trying to control their formative years. Offering an intriguing way of thinking about child development, she uses both personal and professional research to identify problematic behaviors that require intervention and gives reassurance about those that don't. Unlike many parenting experts, Engel encourages perspective and acceptance: rambunctious children will calm down as they find activities to absorb their intellectual energy; similarly, as shy kids grow, they will learn how to reach out to others on a one-to-one level.

Engel provides straightforward guidance about issues of major concern for parents — happiness, intelligence, love, and morality — while blending stories about real children with relevant and up-to-the-minute social and clinical research.

From pre-trip planning to dealing with challenges along the way, The Rough Guide to Travel with Babies and Young Children is the ultimate comprehensive guide to hassle-free family travel … The guide comes complete with listings of resources, websites and further reading, plus handy checklists, first-hand stories and advice from travel industry experts and parents who've been there and done it.

Sidestepping the Power Struggle: a Manual for Effective Parenting. Alison Miller & Allison Rees, $35.00

Sidestepping the Power Struggle is a comprehensive, detailed and extremely readable guide to parenting. While it is fun and easy to read, it brings a large measure of hope to those many parents who sometimes are at their wits’ end. Sidestepping the Power Struggle helps parents to understand their child’s inborn temperament. Understanding a child’s true nature makes deciding how to deal with the everyday problems and the major problem much less stressful. For parents who want to make a difference, this book is a well-balanced blend of theory, practical ideas and appropriate anecdotes.

Teach Your Tot to Sign: the Parents’ Guide to American Sign Language. Stacy Thompson, $14.50

Research has shown that very young children can learn sign language before they learn to speak. Teach Your Tot to Sign: the Parents’ Guide to American Sign Language provides parents and teachers the opportunity to teach more than 500 basic American Sign Language (ASL) signs to their infants, toddlers, and young children. Hearing children, deaf children, and children with special needs can benefit from learning the elementary signs chosen for this handy pocket-size book. The book features fundamental signs of great appeal to young children and concise instructions on how to sign; including the critical importance of facial expression. This lively assortment of signs will help every child convey … their thoughts, feelings, and desires to their parents and teachers.

Time-In Parenting. Otto Weininger, $16.95

Time-In Parenting explores the ways in which parents can share their own emotional control in order to teach children self-control, life and problem solving skills. These ‘time in’ sessions help children learn that their parents are not afraid of their emotions and know how to handle them, giving children a feeling of self-confidence and security.

Unconditional Parenting: Moving from Rewards and Punishments to Love and Reason. Alfie Kohn, $16.95; DVD $28.95

Unconditional Parenting addresses the ways parents think about, feel about, and act with their children. It invites them to question their most basic assumptions about raising kids while offering a wealth of practical strategies for shifting from a "doing to" to "working with" style of parenting — including how to replace praise with the unconditional support that children need to grow into healthy, caring, responsible people. This is an eye-opening, paradigm-shattering book that will reconnect readers to their own best instincts and inspire them to become better parents.

• Unconditional Parenting is going to make you think — hard — about the type of relationship you want to have with your child, about your parenting priorities, and about how to avoid many of the mistakes of our predecessors. It's what we've come to expect from Alfie Kohn, and this is unquestionably one of his most persuasive, important works. For your sake and your child's…read it!"

- Ross W. Greene, The Explosive Child

• This book underscores an important parenting principle: Discipline is more about having the right relationship with your child than having the right techniques."

- William Sears, The Baby Book and The Discipline Book

• I found myself wanting to underline every other sentence of Unconditional Parenting, which is different from — and a refreshing challenge to — most other books about raising children. It's entertaining enough so that you can read it quickly, but it's so packed with thought-provoking ideas that you'll want to take your time."

- Barbara Coloroso, Kids Are Worth It!

Unplugged Play: No Batteries – No Plugs – Pure Fun. Bobbi Conner, $21.50

710 games and activities for ages 12 months to 10 years that stretch the imagination, spark creativity, build strong bodies and forge deep friendships.

What Kindergarten Teachers Know. Lisa Holewa & Joan Rice, $15.50

Practical and playful ways for parents to help children listen, learn and cooperate at home.

When You’re About to Go Off the Deep End, Don’t Take Your Kids With You. Kelly Nault, $19.99

A step-by-step guide to permanently eliminate chaos and frustration in your home and unleash the “ultimate mom” within you.

Why Do Kids Do That? A Practical Guide to Positive Parenting. Richard Woolfson, $23.95

Packed with practical strategies for dealing with common childhood problems, this easy-to-use illustrated guide helps parents to understand children's behavior from ages two to eight.

The Wiggle & Giggle Busy Book: 365 Fun, Physical Activities for Toddlers & Preschoolers. Trish Kuffner, $11.95

The Preschooler’s Busy Book: 365 Creative Learning Games and Activities to Keep Your 3 to 6 Year Old Busy. Trish Kuffner, $11.95

The Toddler’s Busy Book: 365 Creative Learning Games and Activities to Keep Your 1½ to 3 Year Old Busy. Trish Kuffner, $11.50

These Busy Books by Trish Kuffner are packed with creative, fun, simple activities to keep toddlers and preschoolers busy. Terrific alternatives to watching TV or playing video games, the books show parents and care providers how to encourage physical, emotional and cognitive growth and stimulate a child’s natural curiosity.

Your Child's Dog: How to Help Your Kids Care for Their Pets. Andrea McHugh, $16.95

This straightforward guide features step-by-step advice on teaching a child to care for and train a dog. Using examples and step-by-step photographs, Your Child's Dog explains how to respond to a dog's needs while at the same time raising a well-socialized and well-behaved companion pet.