10 of the Best Parenting Advice Books

Children don’t come with a how-to guide—but don't panic. If you're feeling lost when it comes to parenting during a pandemic, rest assured that you're not alone. Being unexpectedly cooped up at home with little ones or teenagers, managing home schooling for the first time, and dealing with difficult questions from curious kids are all new challenges. This list of 10 informative and fun audiobooks are packed with info and advice, so that you'll know what to do even when you feel totally clueless. From sleepless newborns to rebellious teenagers, we've got you covered with these informative parenting listens.

How to Raise an Adult

Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success

By: Julie Lythcott-Haims

Narrated by: Julie Lythcott-Haims

Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins

Release date: 09-10-15

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 2,208 ratings

Julie Lythcott-Haims works in academia and has seen firsthand the negative effects of over-parenting in teens and young adults. Parents think they're helping their kids when they're actually enabling or smothering them, and she argues that the key to raising healthy, independent adults is taking a step back and letting kids explore, fail, and learn from their missteps. This author-narrated listen is relevant for parents of kids at any age, but it offers especially great advice for parenting teens.
Toddlers Are A**holes

It's Not Your Fault

By: Bunmi Laditan

Narrated by: Bahni Turpin

Length: 3 hrs and 24 mins

Release date: 06-02-15

Language: English

4 out of 5 stars 569 ratings

In this satirical (but helpful nonetheless) guide to toddlerhood, Bunmi Laditan reassures parents that it's not their fault that their tiny human is a giant jerk—it's just a part of their natural development. With the help of Hall of Fame Narrator Bahni Turpin, Laditan gives advice for how to weather the tantrums, the potty training, and the whims of your little one with humor and empathy, so you can get through toddlerhood without losing your mind.
Achtung Baby

An American Mom on the German Art of Raising Self-Reliant Children

By: Sara Zaske

Narrated by: Sara Zaske

Length: 7 hrs and 57 mins

Release date: 01-02-18

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 225 ratings

When author-narrator Sara Zaske moved to Berlin with her toddler in tow and another baby on the way, she was surprised to find how much freedom German parents allowed their kids—and how unconcerned they were with the worries that might plague American parents. By interviewing other parents, teachers, and caregivers, Zaske set out to learn as much as possible about how German parents raise their kids to be self-reliant, curious, and adventurous.
Parenting the New Teen in the Age of Anxiety

Raising Happy, Healthy Humans Ages 8 to 24

By: Dr. John Duffy

Narrated by: Anne Cross

Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins

Release date: 09-15-19

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 418 ratings

No parent experienced their teen years the way that children do today. This guide provides strategies and tips for actively learning the world of our children. A shift has taken place in how and when children develop. Because of the exposure they face, kids are emotionally overwhelmed at a young age, often continuing to search for a sense of self well into their twenties. Paradoxically, Dr. Duffy recognizes the good that comes with these challenges, such as the sense of justice instilled in teenagers starting at a young age. Readers of this book will sort through the overwhelming circumstances of today’s teens and better understand the changing landscape of adolescence.
How Eskimos Keep Their Babies Warm

And Other Adventures in Parenting

By: Mei-Ling Hopgood

Narrated by: Barbara Hayman

Length: 7 hrs and 57 mins

Release date: 02-24-13

Language: English

4 out of 5 stars 87 ratings

Mei-Ling Hopgood, originally from Michigan, moved to Buenos Aires around the same time she became a mom, and was shocked at how Argentinian mothers didn't enforce a bedtime. Then she became curious—how do other countries and cultures differ when it comes to parenting? Thus began her exploration into parenting practices around the world, gleaning the best bits of advice from different cultures to offer new parents a global perspective on parenting babies and toddlers. Kept fresh and engaging with the support of narrator Barbara Hayman, this listen will introduce you to diverse methods of parenting and perhaps encourage you to adopt a few gems of wisdom.
All Joy and No Fun

The Paradox of Modern Parenthood

By: Jennifer Senior

Narrated by: Jennifer Senior

Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins

Release date: 01-28-14

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 1,069 ratings

Parenting changes your life forever. Journalist Jennifer Senior takes a deep dive into the life of parents around the country and how the experience of having, adopting, and raising children fundamentally changes their relationships, family dynamics, careers, and ways of life. Although this author-narrated listen isn't an advice book in the strictest sense, Senior's profiles of various families can be helpful to new parents as they struggle to transition into family life, as well as to parents whose kids are getting older. All Joy and No Fun offers hope for modern families while challenging long-held beliefs about parenting.
Motherhood So White

A Memoir of Race, Gender, and Parenting in America

By: Nefertiti Austin

Narrated by: Allyson Johnson

Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins

Release date: 09-24-19

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 64 ratings

Most of the books about parenting and memoirs about motherhood are from an overwhelmingly white perspective—a fact that Nefertiti Austin was unable to escape when she made the decision to adopt a Black baby out of the foster care system. As she struggled with backlash, criticism, and insensitive comments, she also began researching the history of adoption in African American communities and the realities of raising a Black child in America. While this listen skews more towards memoir, it's an important part of the conversation about parenting that makes for necessary listening, made pause-resistant by the performance of Emmy Award winner Allyson Johnson.
#IMomSoHard

By: Kristin Hensley, Jen Smedley

Narrated by: Kristin Hensley, Jen Smedley

Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins

Release date: 04-02-19

Language: English

5 out of 5 stars 1,811 ratings

Sometimes, the last thing you need is an advice book telling you what you're doing wrong, or how to improve. Sometimes, you just need someone to commiserate with. In this laugh-out-loud author-narrated memoir, Hensley and Smedley don't judge—but they also don't mince words about how hard it can be to be a mom. Instead, they offer support and advice for anyone in the parenting trenches, without censure or an unsolicited pep talk.

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