Attachment Parenting is a fairly new concept that is gaining ground. Here are some recommended attachment-based parenting books. A longer bibliography is below the recommended reading.
Whole Brain Child. The WBC is highly recommended. It is easy to read, has just 12 simple strategies, and offers good examples. Co-author Dr. Dan Siegel has written many heavily science-books for professionals, which incorporate attachment science and neuroscience, and has condense his knowledge into a simple format for parents. There are some companion books in the WBC series.
Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain. Also by Dr. Dan Siegel. Explains how the teenage brain experiences exuberance and pruning, the massive growth of new brain wiring and then the die-off of unused wires later in adolescence, and offers tips for helping teens maintain optimal wiring for adulthood.
Mind in The Making. Author Ellen Galinsky. MITM is longer and more complex that WBC, but offers a richer set of suggestions for parents, and frames the main parenting issues up into a nice list of 7 key skills that parents can develop in their children. The seven skills are listed in another post on Mr. Baumann’s website.
The Peace Discipline Toolkit. The Toolkit of nonviolent and positive discipline techniques is available for free at Peace Discipline. The Toolkit offers the most extensively researched list of techniques.
Between Parent and Child, and Between Parent and Teenager. This book is also highly recommended. Originally published in 1965 (and re-published in 2003), this is a long-time best selling parenting book. This book is easy to read with excellent examples. Although written before attachment theory was well developed, Ginott intuitively understood children’s attachment needs. Between Parent and Teenager is available for free at http://www.betweenparentandchild.com.
Respectful Parents, Respectful Kids: 7 Keys to Turn Family Conflict into Cooperation. This book is not based directly on attachment, but offers an excellent guide to promoting respectful children.
Raising a Thinking Child Workbook: Teaching Young Children How to Resolve Everyday Conflicts and Get Along with Others. A nice workbook to help your child build cognitive and social-emotional skills.
Targeted Integrating Parenting Strategies (TIPS)TM. These involve identifying a child’s general attachment pattern and targeting parenting strategies to specifically fit the child’s attachment needs. TIPS sheets are available to clients of Mark K. Baumann.
Two professional-oriented books
Raising Parents: Attachment, Representation, and Treatment. Author Patricia Crittenden is a world leader in attachment theory. This book is the best attachment-based book available for parenting, but it is not for the faint-hearted, and is geared for a professional audience (although it not as formal as some of her other works). This book is exceptionally relevant for foster parents and foster system professionals. Parents reading this book are encouraged to work with a therapist, coach, or other parenting professional.
Integrative Parenting. This book is particularly useful if you are working with a therapist who can use EMDR. The book is firmly grounded in the ABC+D theory of attachment, so like most attachment-parenting books, it is great for an overall view of attachment, but does not provide insight into general attachment parenting techniques. (Please send us feedback about your experience with this book.)
Bibliography
Crittenden, Patricia M., (2015, 2nd ed.), Raising Parents: Attachment, Representation, and Treatment, Routledge.
Galinsky, Ellen, (2010), Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs, William Morrow.
Ginott, Haim, (1965, revised and updated, 2003), Between parent and child, Three Rivers Press.
Hart, S. & Kindle Hodson, V. (2006), Respectful Parents, Respectful Kids: 7 Keys to Turn Family Conflict into Cooperation, Puddledancer Press.
Moore, Deborah, (undated) Discipline with an Adoption Twist, www.EMKPress.com http://www.emkpress.com/pdffiles/disciplinesw.pdf .
Siegel, Daniel J. & Payne-Bryson, Tina, (2011), The whole brain child: 12 revolutionary strategies to nurture your child’s developing mind, Delacorte Press.
Siegel, Daniel J. & Payne-Bryson, Tina, (2011), The Whole-Brain Child Workbook: Practical Exercises, Worksheets and Activities to Nurture Developing Minds, PESI Publishing.
Siegel, Daniel J. & Payne-Bryson, Tina, (2014), No-Drama Discipline: The Whole-Brain Way to Calm the Chaos and Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind, Bantam.
Siegel, Daniel J., (2012), Pocket guide to interpersonal neurobiology: An Integrative Handbook of the Mind. New York: W.W. Norton.
Siegel, Daniel J., (2014), Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain, Tarcher.
Wesselmann, Schweitzer & Armstrong, (2014a), Integrative Parenting: Strategies for Raising Children Affected by Attachment Trauma. W.W. Norton & Company.
Wesselmann, Schweitzer & Armstrong, (2014b), Integrative Team Treatment for Attachment Trauma in Children: Family Therapy and EMDR, W.W. Norton & Company.