Books to help manage the terrible twos?

My daughter kicked off her terrible twos on her first birthday. My son waited until he was 18 months to start terrorizing the household. I probably should have read a book or two on how to get through it all, but I didn't. A much smarter mom is looking for some resources:

I am looking for some good parenting books as I head into the "terrible twos". Do you guys have some suggestions? Can I go back to the days when he just sat on the floor and smiled?

Any good book suggestions? Coping strategies? I just recall that once I accepted the fact that I would have to clean up food off the floors, walls and my body at every meal, things got easier. After all, those flying plates of food were always accompanied by an angelic, innocent smile. Ah, priceless. But seriously, aren't the terrible twos all about children exploring their independence? I think at any age that is probably one, if not THE hardest developments to cope with. The problem is that two-year olds still don't have that little voice inside that says, "maybe this isn't the best idea."

Comments

[KarenP]

A helpful book on understanding two year olds is "Your Two-Year-Old: Terrible or Tender" by Louise Bates Ames. This series of books (Your Two-Year-Old, Your Three-Year-Old, Etc.) is great for knowing what to expect and why. Based on years of longitudinal research by the Gesell Institute--a highly respected child-development research group, they help you understand your child developmentally and offer strategies that fit your child's developmental stage.

The books were published in 1980, so at times can sound a bit dated (My favorite outdated line is: "Perhaps three-quarters of the Three-year-olds studied by us now watch television. Those who do not, for the most part, just don't have a television set available in their home." Shows just how far we've sunk in 25-30 years!). But despite these outdated examples, the core developmental data is timeless. They are a quick, easy read, readily available at libraries, and may be a great companion to any other parenting books you may read.

[Leah]

I've heard great things about the book series KarenP recommends--a friend just mentioned last night she'd read the one for her one year old and said it was really insightful.

Although I've not read any of them (no time!), I've also heard great things (and lots of tid-bits of helpful information) about Unconditional Parenting and the Love and Logic books.

[ERIN]

I'm also just getting into the terrible twos. The book mentioned above was recommended by my doctor. I also would recommend "The Baby Whisperer for Toddlers". It's more up-to-date and has a lot of great information. Good luck, from one Mama to another!

[Lori]

I just spent 3 hours on line and at Powells books on this very topic - except that our daughter is 2 3/4's.

Here is what I picked up:

- Unconditional Parenting: Moving From Rewards and Punishments to Love and Reason, by Alfie Kohn

- Practical Wisdom for Parents: Raising Self-Confident Children in the Preschool Years by Nancy Schulman

Here are some other suggestions:

- Is This a Phase? Child Development & Parent Strategies, Birth to 6 Years, By Helen F. Neville, B.S., R.N.

- The Discipline Book: Everything You Need to Know to Have a Better-Behaved Child from Birth to Age Ten by William Sears (we have the fussy baby book, which I go to for help on how to communicate better with our daughter)

-Emotional Life of the Toddler
by Alicia F Lieberman