Parenting Resources

• The 30 Best Parenting Books To Guide You Through Life With Kids from Forbes Magazine. (Mar 26, 2024). 

• The 18 Best Books About Mental Health for Kids, Teens, and Parents from Monarch's Blog (Dec. 18, 2022). 

• National Maternal Mental Health Hotline - 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262)

Call or Text 1-833-943-5746 (English and Spanish) – 24/7, Free, Confidential Hotline for before, during and after pregnancy. Offers resources, referrals and support. Interpreter Services are available in 60 languages. (US Only)

• Zero To Three - Effective Co-Parenting Tips

• ** Mind In the Making - Website sharing the research, tools and strategies based on Ellen Galinsky's book about the "Seven Essential Life Skills" children (and adults) need to succeed in life -- 1) Focus and Self-Control, 2) Perspective Taking, 3) Communicating, 4) Making Connections (categorizing, the core of creativity), 5) Critical Thinking, 6) Taking on Challenges, 7) Self-Directed, Engaged Learning.  The Mind in the Making program helps adults better understand how children learn, what they need to learn and how adults can take simple, effective steps to promote engaged learning of executive functioning skills. 

  • • Tip Sheets to help parents with the skills broken down by developmental stage

    • Ellen Galinsky's article with the Families and Work Institute - "Bringing the Outside Inside" - creating an inside playground to facilitate learning (May 12, 2020). 

• Center on the Developing Child (from Harvard)

• Child Mind Institute

• Child Development Institute offers articles and resources on various topics, including "Healthy Meals for Kids," Dad's Corner (addressing meltdowns, homework battles, routines and more), and Family Finances.

• Does Your Child Have an Unhealthy Relationship to Social Media? Here’s How to Tell. The New York Times (May 23, 2023).

• "Screened Out" - A 70-min documentary on how our use of screens and social media is altering our attention and children's brain and social-emotional development. *** Highly Recommend!!. See below for longer description.

  • • Smartphone Addiction Test

Issues:

• Burnout. It's real. It's okay to feel it. 

  • • Parental Burnout Self-Test by Catherine Pearson from the NYTimes. (June 6, 2022). Accessed 02.03.23.

    • Burnout Isn’t Just in Your Head. It’s in Your Circumstances by Adam Grant in The New York Times (March 19, 2020). Accessed 10.17.23.

• Post-Partum Depression -- See separate page on Reproductive, Perinatal, Postpartum resources

  • • Smart Patients' Post Partum Community - @smartpatientscommunity - an online forum for women affected by #PPD

• Getting back into the workforce

• Divorce and Separation

  • • FamilyKind's PEAP Program (Parenting Education & Awareness Program) - support for navigating separation & divorce process, co-parenting, etc. 

    • Sesame Workshop (Sesame Street)'s "Sesame Street in Communities" Resource Hub 

      • Dealing with Divorce & Separation

      • Video: Adjusting to Two Homes

      • Video: Reminding Kids It Not Their Fault

      • Video: Abby Cadabby Shares Her Experience with her Parents' Divorce

    • Splitting time between two homes

      • Video reading of the book "My Two Homes" by Claudia Harrington

    • Introducing a new partner

    • Developmental Regression

    • Acting Out in School

• Meltdowns & Discipline

  • • ​Parent Handout: Truths about Time Out from PCIT (Parent-Child Interactive Therapy) International

    • See below sections on "Videos" and "Mindfulness" for help with emotion regulation and mindfulness, and YouTube videos of books read aloud, like "Voices Are Not for Yelling," "Gorilla Taps" (EMDR for Kids), the Angry Spot (A Little Spot of Emotion Series) | Hands Are Not For Hitting (book read aloud)

    • See "How to Talk so Kids Will Listen," and the resources from the Child Development and Child Mind Institutes. 

• Routines

• Screentime 

  • See "Screened Out" (link above) - a short documentary under the Relationships and Addictions resources.

• Pregnancy and Infant Loss (PAIL) 

  • • NICUNook - A specialized practice offering support, "courses" and resources to parents navigating their premie newborn's (and their own) experience in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). - Instagram

Please see the Grief & Loss Resource Page for more.

• • • Postpartum Support International (PSI), NY Chapter - Offers a network of perinatal mental health specialists, a hotline, support groups, resources, advocacy, research, counseling and community to support pregnant women, their families and providers during and after pregnancy.  Support groups specific to a range of identities and focii including Dads, Parenting after Loss, Pregnancy after Stillbirth and Loss, Black Moms in Loss, Birth Moms Support, Birth Trauma for BIPOC Families and Pregnancy Mood Support.

PSI Helpline: call or text 1-800-944-4773 | en Español: 971-203-7773 | Instagram | Support Groups | Queer & Trans Parent Support | Online Provider Directory

• RTZ HOPE - Support for the LGBTQI+ bereaved parents community.

• (Helping kids with Pet Loss)

• • When a Pet Dies, Helping Children Through the ‘Worst Day of Their Lives’ by Juli Fraga in The New York Times. (June 8, 2017).

  • Sesame Street Sesame Workshop - Community videos and resources on Grief 

    • • Video: "Elmo Learns How to Deal with the Loss of a Loved One" 

  • The Invisible Leash: An Invisible String Story About the Loss of a Pet by Patricia Karst and Joanne Lew-Vriethoff

  • Losing a Pet — How to Help Your Toddler Deal With Death from What to Expect (Jan. 24, 2019).

    • • Picture Books recommended in article: 

        • "I'll Always Love You" by Hans Wilhelm

        • Dog Heaven and Cat Heaven by Cynthia Rylant

See additional Grief Resources here.

• Sensory Overload & Emotion Regulation

  • • Growing Hands-On - a resource to better understand Sensory Processing & Emotion regulation challenges. Here's a 2-min video and longer description/guide to help your child learn coping  & self-regulation skills, "When I Feel Overwhelmed."

• Helping a teenager (or pre-teen) with substance abuse

  • Hazelden Betty Ford Family Program (online and in TriBeca, Manhattan)

• Helping a child questioning their sexuality, gender identity - Resources from MyKidisGay.com 

  • PFLAG - For parents & caregivers seeking support for LGBTQI+ identified or questioning children

  • The Trevor Project - resources, direct support, tools and advocacy for mental health for teens grappling with their gender & sexuality identity. Also has 24-7 crisis support line -- see above sections. 

  • GLSEN - Resources, education, advocacy and support for LGBTQ+ youth/teens in K-12 education

• Helicopter Parenting and Over-Achievement

  • Organizational Psychologist Adam Grant, a professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, TED speaker, author, Work Life podcast host, and supplier of great social media quick bites of info to help you thrive at work and life. He's a regular on LinkedIn, and has written many articles you can see here.

    • Productivity Isn’t About Time Management. It’s About Attention Management, The New York Times (March 28, 2019).

    • Can your job make you a more controlling parent? When we are robbed of freedom at work, we expect more obedience at home. Salon.com (July 15, 2018).

    • Stop Trying to Raise Successful Kids, And start raising kind ones. The Atlantic (Dec. 2019).

Parenting Toddlers

• When your kids prefer one parent over the other --- this is a normal developmental behavior! It's hard to not take it personally. Here are some articles and food for thought:

  • • NYTimes - "Why Does My Kid Prefer My Partner? (Published 2020)" by Jessica Grose. Accessed 02.03.23.

    • ABC Everyday.com. Why kids can prefer one parent (and tips for dealing with it), by Richard Scott. Accessed 02.03.23

• Morning Struggles

  • • NYTimes - "Why Kids Fight Getting Dressed: Every morning is a living nightmare," (Jan. 15 2020). Accessed 02.03.23.

• Potty Training

  • • Potty Training articles and resources from WhatToExpect.com

• Social-Emotional Development

  • • Learning about Emotions & Feelings

      • • See the "A Spot of Feelings" series below and in the Mindfulness section.

        • Sesame Workshop, eg. The Feelings Garden

Videos (For you and them)

• Sesame Workshop has a plethora of resources on social-emotional development, parenting, health & wellness, grief, relationships, self-care and more. 

• The Boundaries Song | Listening Song (song and activity for listening skills and following directions)| How To Respect Personal Space - Bay Needs Space (book read aloud, to help learn to identify your own and others' emotions, with an Australian accent!)

• Unwanted Behaviors - Dr. Becky at "Good Inside" - Instagram post on What to Tell Your Kid to do rather than not to do.  She also is a great resource in general on how manage your own emotions and feelings while helping your child manage "big emotions." She has a great TEDx talk on Repair, which is a necessary skill & process for you to develop and practice when you've yelled, lost your temper, had an argument, etc.

• Guided Mindfulness and Meditations - see below section for more audio & video guides like "Let's Unwind: Flow," Belly Breathing (kids ages 5-11) , Bear Breaths (for anxiety and overwhelm), The Body Scanner (ages 3-11)

• Mental Health Center Kids - Helps children and teens learn to manage feelings and big emotions like anger, anxiety (and can help parents learn these skills too!) - Coping Skills for Kids - Managing Feelings & Emotions For Elementary-Middle School Self-Regulation 

• EMDR For Kids - EMDR techniques to help them self-soothe and manage anxiety, anger, overwhelm and symptoms of trauma - Gorilla Taps

Children's books read with visuals on YouTube: See below section, Kids' Books. 

Podcasts & Social Media

• Dr. Becky Kennedy

  • Instagram

  • Guide to Running a Successful Family Meeting - download link

  • Podcast: Good Inside with Dr. Becky - Apple

    • Episode: Pendulum Parenting

Pendulum Parenting: When you try so hard to parent differently than the way you were raised but accidentally swing to the other end of the pendulum. This week, Dr. Becky talks with one of the hosts of the We Can Do Hard Things podcast, Amanda Doyle, about holding clear boundaries while raising kids in a family where it's important that all feelings be allowed.

Articles

• New Mom Self-Care: 16 Ways to Take Care of Your Mental Healht in Early Parenthood, from Zencare. Accessed 8.31.23.

• Does Your Child Have an Unhealthy Relationship to Social Media? Here’s How to Tell. The New York Times (May 23, 2023).

• The 18 Best Books About Mental Health for Kids, Teens, and Parents from Monarch's Blog (Dec. 18, 2022). 

• Teens Turn to TikTok in Search of a Mental Health Diagnosis. The New York Times by Christina Caron (Oct. 29, 2022). While social media can help people feel less alone, using it to evaluate symptoms has several downsides.

• Compromising When You Have Different Parenting Styles - TwoOfUs.org

Books 

• The 30 Best Parenting Books To Guide You Through Life With Kids from Forbes Magazine. (Mar 26, 2024). 

• How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk (2012) by Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish. 

• How to Talk So Little Kids Will Listen: A Survival Guide to Life with Children Ages 2-7.

• Mind In the Making  (2010) by Ellen Gallinsky.   

  • Shows what you can do from birth through middle school to strengthen the critical executive function skills in children so they develop an ability to problem solve, get along with others and achieve goals. Provides tools to help foster your relationship and the skills including Critical Thinking, Taking on Challenges, Focus & Self-Control, Perspective Taking, Communicating, Making Connections,  and Self-Directed Engaged Learning,  

    • Mind In the Making Website with Fact Sheets, activities, tools and research. 

    • ** Quick Tip Resources & Handouts in English & Spanish. 

      • These are particularly helpful ideas for in-home activities and games that help you foster your kids' development and address challenges in age-appropriate ways. Issues from sharing to potty training, to completing homework, to listening to directions, to connecting with others, to bullying and more. 

Skill-Building Opportunities  &  Tip Sheets

Daniel Siegel & Tina Payne 

Two leading researchers on parenting and children's social, emotional, cognitive development. 

Daniel Siegel's Website | Amazon Page

• • • The Whole Brained Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind, Survive Everyday Parenting Struggles, and Help Your Family Thrive 

      • • Download The Whole-Brain Child Refrigerator Sheet

        • Download A Note to Our Child’s Caregivers: Our Discipline Approach in a Nutshell

    • No-Drama Discipline: The Whole-Brain Way to Calm the Chaos and Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by  and Tina Payne Bryson. Daniel Siegel has a series of books on child development, emotional development and parenting. This book (and Whole Brained Child) also have workbooks.  - Amazon Link

    • Parening from the Inside Out

Guided Exercises & Stories for Kids

(Exercise, Self-Control, Mindfulness, Emotion Regulation)

Audio:

• 3-min Guided mindfulness exercise for kids (Audio) - Ammi's Adventures: Stones. Mindful.com. (9/6/22).

• 4-min Grounding (Audio) - meditation for kids. Mindful.com. (2/7/22).

Videos 

• Butterfly Hug! 6-Mins. Self-Soothing technique for kids

• The Boundaries Song

• Guided Square Breathing (grounding technique for anxiety, anger, overwhelm, PTSD from Learn and Play Right Brain Education)

• The "Spot of Emotions" book series is available on YouTube - see below section on children's books: The Feelings Detective Song | A Little Calm Spot (Calm & Focus) | A Little Spot of Feelings (The Emotion Detective)

• GoNoodle 's  (link to their main website) - 3-4mins. - "Get Back on Track Meditation" | "Melting Exercise - Learn To Destress." | "Let's Unwind: Flow" | "Brain Break - Elemental Fitness Run" | Swirling 

** these can be great for adults too!

• NamasteInSchool - videos to foster social-emotional learning and mindfulness skills - "Bear Breaths" | "Snow Breaths" | Sloth Mindful Breathing Yoga Exercise

• Scratch Garden: 5-Min. Yoga Breaks -  Salamander Yoga! |Salamander Yoga - Now with Tiny Flying Alligators! 

• Growing Hands-On - a resource to better understand Sensory Processing & Emotion regulation challenges - 2-min: When I Feel Overwhelmed

• Mental Health Center Kids - Helps children and teens learn to manage feelings and big emotions like anger, anxiety (and can help parents learn these skills too!) - Coping Skills for Kids - Managing Feelings & Emotions For Elementary-Middle School Self-Regulation | Anger Management Techniques For Kids and Teens - Strategies To Calm Down When Your Temper Rises (skills that are also used with adults; I recommend slowing the video down)| 

• TFC: The Feelings Channel - Books and Games to help kids manage and learn about emotions. Feelings Freeze Dance | How To Tame My Anxiety Monster (book read aloud, identifies the physical symptoms and coping skills) | Little Monkey Calms Down | The Emotions Book | The Feelings Book | Feelings A to Z

• What Shall We Do With The Angry Monster? (more for toddlers, will be best to view together and add your own description).

• Shake Off Those Icky Feelings: 7-Minute Emotion Regulating Activity To Help Kids Calm Down [with mindful breathing techniques]

• The Mindfulness Teacher - (who doesn't love a British accent? :) ) Belly Breathing (recommended for kids ages 5-11) |  The Body Scanner (ages 3-11) | Thought Bubbles! (For Anxiety and Worry)

Kids' Books

See above sections on Videos of book read aloud, Mindfulness Guides, Divorce...

• • • When a Donut Goes to Therapy by Erin Winters (Jan. 2022).  Amazon | Read aloud on YouTube

    • The Invisible String by Patrice Karst - a book about connection that helps kids cope with separation anxiety, loss, grief, and general struggles with object permanency. 

Emotion Regulation and Learning about Emotions: 

• • • Me and My Feelings: A Kids' Guide to Understanding and Expressing Themselves. An illustrated chapter book that is great for parents to read with their kids to help learn to identify and express the emotions both with others and with themselves. 

    • The What If's by Emily Kilgore (2020) - A beautifully illustrated book about anxiety for kids 4-8 yo kids that I often use in sessions with adults!  Amazon | Barnes & Noble.  It is read aloud on YouTube here.

    • Thank You Mind: Understanding My Big Feelings on Tricky Days by Jennifer Cohen Harper. This book helps kids identify their emotions, and develop the habit of positive self-talk by speaking to themselves with compassion. Also, its illustrations are racially and culturally diverse. 

    • A Little SPOT of Anger: A Story About Managing BIG Emotions (2019). It's read aloud by the author on YouTube here.

      • • "The Little SPOT" series also comes with little stuffed toys and a feelings poster for all of the 8 Emotions - Amazon

        • 8-Book Box Set (#1-8) on Amazon (Anger, Anxiety, Peaceful, Happiness, Sadness, Confidence, Love & Scribble Emotion)

        • 8-Book Box Set on Amazon , -- They are also read aloud on YouTube: (A Little Spot of Feelings (The Emotion Detective), Empathy, Happiness, Optimism, Compromise, Frustration, Perseverance, Calm & Focus, Patience, Anxiety, Sadness, Belonging, Honesty, Worry, Boredom, Courage, Flexible Thinking, , Confidence, Thankful, Sleepy, Organization, A Little Spot Goes to School)

    • My Body Sends a Signal: Helping Kids Recognize Emotions and Express Feelings (2020), by Natalia Maguire - Also includes activity cards you can rip out to help kids learn in an interactive way. Recommended for ages 3-7. Also, its illustrations are racially and culturally diverse. | It is also read aloud on YouTube here. 

    • Some Days I Flip My Lid: Learning to Be a Calm, Cool Kid (2019) by Kellie Bailey. Helps kids learn about calming themselves down, which is essential to allow them to then make decisions about how to manage their emotions, communicate with others and self-soothe.  

Mindfulness for Kids:

• • Breathe Like a Bear: 30 Mindful Moments for Kids to Feel Calm and Focused Anytime, Anywhere by Kira Willey. Beautifully illustrated book to help kids learn deep breathing and mindfulness practice in an age-appropriate way. 

  • A World of Pausabilities: An Exercise in Mindfulness by Frank Sileo & Jennifer Zivoin (Feb. 13, 2017). 

  • Elmo Is Mindful: How to Stay Focused, Calm, and Kind (2021) by Sesame Street Wellness. 

Children's books read with visuals on YouTube:

• Vooks (narrated and animated story books) - We Are (Not) Friends! |Little Sock Makes A Friend | It Is (Not) Perfect! | That's (Not) Mine! | I Am (Not) Scared | But First, We Nap! | Shopping With Daddy! | Made for Me!  (Father & Son Story, so cute) | Ronnie and His Grit! | Finding Free Fun | Little Sock! | Dragons Love Tacos | A Pet Like No Other!

• HungryWolfReads

• The What If's by Emily Kilgore (2020) - A beautifully illustrated book about anxiety for kids 4-8 yo kids that I often use in sessions with adults!  Amazon | It is read aloud on YouTube here.

• Reading Pioneers Academy has classic books and others like "Kindness is My Superpower."

• Toad Stools and Fairy Dust - "Grumpy Monkey"

• The Feelings Channel - see below

• How To Respect Personal Space - Bay Needs Space (book read aloud, to help learn to identify your own and others' emotions, with an Australian accent!)

• Reading with KiKi - Voices Are Not for Yelling | Hands Are Not For Hitting

• The "Spot of Emotions" book series is available on YouTube (see below in the books for kids section): The Feelings Detective Song, and another song with all the spots: How Are You Feeling Song