Christian Mama's Guide to Parenting a Toddler

Christian Mama's Guide to Parenting a Toddler by Erin MacPherson
Visit the Author's Blog HERE
Amazon Summary:

What's a mom to do when her sweet baby's smiles and snuggles turn to tears and tantrums?

This take on everything toddler—from throwing food to potty training to massive toddler fits—is filled with sanity-saving advice every mom wants to hear. Helpful tips include how to:

• stop a tantrum in its tracks (or at least survive the tantrum without breaking into tears of your own)
• discipline your child in a way that demonstrates Christ's redeeming love
• make your marriage a priority when your kid is a squeaky wheel that always seems to need your time and attention
• introduce your child to Jesus in a way that leads to authentic faith
• convince a one-and-a-half year old that broccoli really is better than cookies—even if you don't believe it yourself

Moms will be entertained and encouraged by the amusing anecdotes and godly advice of this comprehensive, topical approach to parenting one and two year olds.

I received this book in a contest from the author. The Kindle price is $9.99 today (1/27/13)

My Thoughts:
I was blessed enough to have been on the launch team of the Christian Mama's Guide series. I choose to review the The Christian Mama's Guide to Baby's First Year, but also won a copy of "Toddler". Baby Girl was 5 months at the time so I shelved "Toddler" for later. Baby Girl is now 15 months (!!), and seeing as we are entering full tantrum mode, I thought it was prudent to finally read "Toddler".

One of the things I loved about "Baby" was Erin MacPherson's ability to pull humor out of every situation. I felt it was less prevalent here, rather it felt like a slow build up, a warming to the subject. And when dealing with a toddler.....well, we could all use some "LOL" moments. This was the first of my two downsides to the book.

The second: MacPherson is not an official expert, not a doctor, not a dietician, or a licensed nanny. She is a mommy of three young children and has lived in the trenches. This book doesn't cover any one topic in depth, but grazes the surface of several. I think it fair then to warn that this book more is like a toddler primer than a textbook on methods. So if you are looking for sleeping methods or discipline tactics in detail, this will not be the book for you.

All that being said, "Toddler" is still light and humorous. It is also insanely practical for the first time mom. MacPherson provides list after list! Examples include "Making the Most of Your Mom Time", "10 Easy Ways to Teach your Toddler about God's Creation", and "10 Pretty Healthy Toddler Snacks". I like to keep this book out and peruse the lists often for meal and playtime inspiration.

I also love the way MacPherson writes. She writes to the reader and not about the reader, like you might find in some of those other toddler methods textbooks. Instead, it is like visiting with a fun mommy mentor who can't wait to take you under her wing. I'm sad she only has one more book in the Christian Mama's Guide series, Grade School, but glad that I have a few years to savor it :)

I rated Christian Mama's Guide to Parenting a Toddler as 4.5 Stars. I love to recommend it to new mommies who are approaching toddlerhood, mommies who love lists, or completely clueless mommies such as myself! :D



Thanks for stopping by amigos! Do you have a favorite toddlerhood book? Let me know in the comments! I could use all the help I can get :)