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The Ultimate Guide to Parenting Resources

Be Inspired· Featured

Kids don’t come with instruction manuals…or do they?? We live in a world where there is more access to information than ever before, and you don’t have to mom alone! As a mom of four (6-teen), I’m sharing my favorite parenting resources: books, apps, podcasts, and more.

This post contains some affiliate links. If you purchase something through an affiliate link, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you, which helps support the free content you see on Uplift For Women. I only share resources here that I have purchased and consume/use myself, and all opinions are my own.

Post updated 10.24.2022 with additional resources

We all wish kids came with instruction manuals, but they don’t. Or do they?

I still remember the day I brought my firstborn home from the hospital, walking through my front door and sitting on the couch.

Taking him out of his carseat, I looked him in the eyes and realized I had no idea how to be a parent.

Maybe I thought that giving birth would magically change me because, you know, mother’s intuition or something.

Years down the road and I’m still figuring it out. Not all of it, of course; but I’m learning every single day, discovering more about myself, about my kids, what works, and what doesn’t.

We live in an age where there are more resources available to us than to any other generation before us, and I love that!

Motherhood is a beautiful gift, is possibly the hardest thing you’ll ever do and it is most definitely not a destination. Nope, parenting is a journey.

After more than a decade of researching, reading, listening, and doing all the things, I thought I would share some of my favorite parenting resources; things that have helped me along my mothering journey and might help you, too.

Remember that as individuals, we all parent our children a bit differently. So what works for me might not work for you.

Also note that I don’t have it all figured out! But wouldn’t that be great if I did… 😉

This is simply a list of parenting resources I have found to be helpful in my journey so feel free to check out the ones that jump out at you, and leave whatever doesn’t serve you on your journey. No guilt here!

And last but not least my friend, please remember that you’re already enough. The fact that you’re here looking at parenting resources is proof that you’re trying, and that’s really all any of us can do.

So love on those kiddos, take care of yourself, and carry on. It’s a beautiful work we’re doing!

stack of books with blue background
A stack of books of various sizes and colors on a light blue wooden surface. The covers well-used and the corners are worn and turned upward. The wall behind the books is a similar shade of blue.

PARENTING BOOKS

There are oodles of parenting books covering every kind of parenting style imaginable, and they won’t all fit your parenting style. So think of books as pairs of shoes – find one that is comfortable and gives you support right where you need it.

I’ll be sharing multiple styles and viewpoints below, so find which ones work for you!

Flecks of Gold journal

The Flecks of Gold journal isn’t your traditional book, but it just might be one of the most valuable things you can invest in as a mom.

This beautiful 3-year journal is made to last and has a small section each day for you to record something good from that day.

It could be something you’re grateful for, a sweet moment with a child, a connection with friends or family, one of your successes, beauty you witnessed, something that made you laugh, or any other number of things.

I’ve never been great, or even good about keeping a journal, so I purchased this one as soon as it was released last December because I truly think this one is do-able for me.

I love that it is a simple and easy way to keep a journal and to focus on the good.

2 years later and I still have a lot of blank entries, but it has helped me shape the way I look at my day and I have gotten a lot better at noticing the flecks of gold in my days with my kids even if I don’t write them down.

And I do love reading my entries from years past, it is fun to see the things that were special to me and remember seemingly small moments because I took the time to write them down.

Website: 3In30Podcast.com

Love and Logic

Love and Logic is a research-driven, whole-child philosophy. It focuses on making parenting and teaching fun and rewarding, instead of stressful and chaotic. Love and Logic provides “practical tools and techniques that help adults achieve respectful, healthy relationships with their children.” It focuses on giving children autonomy through lots of reasonable choices.

Good Inside

Dr. Becky is a clinical psychologist who focuses on the parent and the child with the belief that we are all good inside and can work as a team to address behaviors and challenges.

On Instagram, Dr Becky has a ton of free content, and I’ve heard good things about her membership site which has courses on any parenting topic you could possibly need.

“From reward charts to time outs, many popular parenting approaches are based on shaping behavior, not raising humans. These techniques don’t build the skills kids need for life, or account for their complex emotional needs. Add to that parents’ complicated relationships with their own upbringings, and it’s easy to see why so many caretakers feel lost, burned out, and worried they’re failing their kids. In Good Inside, Dr. Becky shares her parenting philosophy, complete with actionable strategies, that will help parents move from uncertainty and self-blame to confidence and sturdy leadership.

Offering perspective-shifting parenting principles and troubleshooting for specific scenarios—including sibling rivalry, separation anxiety, tantrums, and more—Good Inside is a comprehensive resource for a generation of parents looking for a new way to raise their kids while still setting them up for a lifetime of self-regulation, confidence, and resilience.”

The Gifts of imperfect parenting

Brene Brown is well-loved in many circles, and this book is a great addition to any parenting library. It isn’t your traditional parenting book per se, but instead provides a healthy perspective on what healthy parenting can look like.

This resource is only available as an audio version which you can download via Audible or purchase as a CD. It’s a pretty quick listen that’s worth every minute.

“Dr Brown proposes that the greatest challenge of wholehearted parenting is being the adult that we want our children to grow up to be. The Gifts of Imperfect Parenting is a practical and hopeful program for raising children who know that they are worthy of love, belonging, and joy.”

The Parenting Toddlers Workbook

Dr. Katie Penry is a licensed clinical psychologist who provides resources to help you be an attentive and effective parent while creating more positive interactions in your home. She has a scientific, yet practical and easy-to-understand approach.

Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids

Dr Markham’s relationship-based parenting model, which she calls Peaceful Parenting, is research-based and parent-tested. She helps families find transformative solutions to everything from separation anxiety and sleep problems to sass talk and cell phones.

Some readers take issue with the tone in parts of the book and say it feels a bit judgy and outdated but there is still a lot of good content inside.

Boys Should Be Boys: 7 Secrets to Raising Healthy Sons

This book by Meg Meeker, MD is a must-read for parents of boys, especially if you don’t have much experience with them 🙂

Dr. Meeker is a pediatrician whose goal is to help strong parents build strong children for a brighter future by equipping them with the tools necessary for health and happiness.

The Child Whisperer

Carol Tuttle’s simple but unique approach makes parenting more intuitive, fun, cooperative, and customized to your individual child. The author describes four different personality types and helps you customize your parenting to each one.

parenting resources on instagram

  • Simply On Purpose positive parenting
  • Thriving Motherhood your personal mama cheerleader
  • Big Little Feelings raising emotionally intelligent kids
  • Local Passport Family family travel and global education
  • Everyday Reading Loads of book recs for every member of the family
  • First Name Basis how to teach your kids about race, religion, and culture
  • Brooke Romney Writes all things teens
  • Better Screen Time creating healthy relationships with technology
  • Feeding Littles you guessed it! all about feeding your littles 😉
  • Solid Starts is a baby-led weaning approach I’ve been using with my 7 month old and wish I would have had access to with my other 4!
  • Baby Led Wean Team
  • A Purposeful Home down-to-earth tips from a raw and real mama. budgeting.
  • Homegrown Traditions life hacks, easy freeze-ahead school lunches, and extensive product testing (check out her water bottle highlights!)
  • Mother Could easy and inexpensive kids’ crafts and activities
  • Busy Toddler Easy activities to keep your toddler entertained
  • Shekeamoreno Regularly posts beautiful prayers for mamas and I can’t tell you how many times they were exactly what I needed that day.
  • Mr Chazz Breaking generational cycles. Lots of great info for teachers too (Montessori based)
  • Mommy Labor Nurse If you’re expecting, this is a must-follow! Great info and free (+paid) guides to help you prepare to have the labor and delivery you feel comfortable with. She also shares products, how to advocate for yourself, and more. Super helpful.
  • The Better Boob All things breastfeeding
  • Allergy Awesomeness If you have a kiddo with food allergies, this is a must-follow. Lots of allergy-friendly recipes, info, and 504 plans
  • Dr Becky Reframing parenting on the basis that parents and kids are inherently good inside. Actionable tips and helpful scripts
  • Kristendukechats Helping you connect with your teen
  • The Childhood collective ADHD Executive functioning + ADHD support from child psychologists + a speech pathologist
  • Nedra Tawwab therapist specializing in relationships and boundaries
  • TakingCaraBabies Life-saving baby and toddler sleep expert
  • Speech Sisters Speech and language experts
Are parenting courses really worth it? mom looking at laptop with child on top of her.

Parenting Courses

4 Parenting Principles That Make A Difference In A Day

Ralphie Jacobs from Simply On Purpose Will teach you four principles to learn how to use the power of being positive to discipline your children and do all that you can to help good behavior develop in your home.

I’ve followed Ralphie on Instagram for about 2 years now, and when she released her parenting course I knew it would be worth the investment.

The course is broken up into quick, easily-digestible episodes that you can go back and review as needed for years to come. I understand the price tag may or may not fit within your budget, but in my opinion it was worth the investment.

Website: SimplyOnPurpose.org

Cost (at time of posting): $250

Mastering Medical Emergencies for Moms

Shan Tripp is a RN and BSN who developed this course that is designed to provide mamas with education and empowerment on handling the most common injuries and illnesses that occur with their children at home.

The course includes high-quality training videos and PDF guides on subject such as fevers, vomiting, head injuries, abdominal pain, choking, seizures, CPR, and many more, and is a great resource for any parent, especially a new parent who will (no doubt) have lots of questions as the years go on.

While I bought the course myself and have found it super helpful, if the price tag isn’t within your budget you can find some of the info like what to do when a child is choking saved in Shan’s highlight bubbles on her Instagram account.

Website: ShanTripp.com

Cost (at time of posting): $297

FREE Tips for Parenting Positively Even During the Not So Positive Times

Tony Overbay, LMFT shares his tips and tools on how to start parenting positively even during the not so positive times. 

Tony released this course last year around the time we hit quarantine and it was nice to give my parenting a boost without having to pay a large amount at that time.

The course is still free, and if you’ve listened to any of Tony’s podcast episodes on The Virtual Couch, you’ll know he has some great experience and helpful insights.

woman drinking from blue cup, holding laptop.

Parenting websites & apps

Common Sense Media

One of the nation’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of all kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century.

I love using Common Sense Media to make informed decisions about what media we consume.

Format: website

Learn More: CommonSenseMedia.org
Cost: FREE

Better Screen Time

Better Screen Time equips you with information and tools to help your family make educated decisions about media.

Format: website

Learn More: BetterScreenTime.com
Cost: FREE (paid courses available too)

The Happy Child

This parenting app grants you access to cutting-edge research and tips that will help you raise a happy, well-adjusted child.

Years of ground-breaking research and findings in Psychology, Neuroscience and Pediatrics have been curated into one easy-to-use app for free…no in-app purchases.

It delivers a short, easily digestible tip every day to help you in raising capable and emotionally intelligent kids.

Format: app

Learn More: HumanImprovement.org
Cost: FREE

Greenlight

Greenlight is a debit card for kids, managed by parents. For years, I’ve been trying to find a chore/allowance system that works for our family and this was the answer.

You can set up accounts for each child, assign recurring or one-time chores (you can pick from their list or make your own), and set up automatic allowance. The kids check off their chores as they go, and their allowance is automatically paid at the end of the week.

The debit card can be used pretty much anywhere, and it is easy to transfer money to their card if needed, and from their card if needed (I charge my kids if I end up doing their chore, or they need to pay me back for something)

You get notified when your kids make a purchase, and they can only spend what is in their account. It’s a great starter card for kids and has helped our kids have some autonomy.

Honestly, this is one of my all-time fav parenting resources, and we’ve been using it for several years now.

Format: app and website

Learn More: Greenlight.com
Cost: $5/month for up to 5 kids

Family Link

Family Link is an app by Google that allows you to connect to your kids’ devices and set limits. You can also use it to see where your child is.

Format: app

Learn More: Play.Google.com
Cost: FREE

Gift List

This is a super simple app you can use to track your gift ideas. Set a gift budget for each person and mark the gift as purchased as you do your shopping.

Format: app

Learn More: Play.Google.com
Cost: FREE

Just Serve

JustServe.org is a website where the volunteer needs of organizations may be posted and volunteers may search for places to serve in the community, providing opportunities to help those in need and enhance the quality of life in the community.

You can filter your search based on location, what type of service you are available to provide, and if you want something to do as a family.

Format: website and app

Learn More: JustServe.org
Cost: FREE

Every Dollar

An easy-to-use budgeting program from Dave Ramsey. They have paid options, but I’ve been using the free plan for years. I like the simplicity and user-friendly layout.


Format: website and app

Learn More: RamseySolutions.com
Cost: FREE (paid plans available too)

Medito

Meditation has been a helpful tool for me and for my kids; it is one of the things that got us all through the mess that was 2020.

There are a lot of meditation apps and resources out there, but this one is my favorite because it is 100% free and does not serve any ads. This is made possible through donations which every once you might see a banner asking if you’d like to contribute but you can tap out of that easily and they’re not pushy about it.

I have donated several times just because I have gotten a lot of use out of their app and want to help it continue on.

There is a beginner’s meditation course that features one session per day for 30 days and is a great way to try meditation if you’re new to it.

The sleep meditations are my favorite, particularly the Power Nap and Forest Bathing.


Format: website and app

Learn More: MeditoFoundation.org
Cost: 100% FREE

woman with earbuds, drinking a coffee

PARENTING PODCASTS

  • 3 In 30 Takeaways for Moms Just like the name says, 3 doable takeaways in 30 minutes. It’s a parenting podcast my mom brain can handle 😉
  • Raising Adults How to set up teens for success in transitioning to adulthood.
  • Good Inside Actionable guidance on all kinds of parenting dilemmas, in short episodes that make it easy to learn and apply.
  • About Progress Progress over perfection, self acceptance and improvement.
  • The Virtual Couch hosted by Tony Overbay, LMFT on all topics. Therapy is one of the best things you can do for your kids because as Rachel Nielsen of the 3 in 30 podcast says, only YOU can give your kids a happy and fulfilled mom. Lots of general therapy episodes and also some great parenting centric ones.
  • Prep Talks brings experts on to help parents help their kids navigate the transition to adulthood.
  • First Name Basis
  • ADDitude ADHD Experts Podcast takes real questions from ADD adults and parents raising kids with ADHD and answers them for you.
  • The Lazy Genius because life is complicated enough and she has some seriously awesome hacks.
  • Calm Parenting Podcast Disclaimer: there is a lot of push to purchase their products and courses (which are probably great, I haven’t tried any of them), but there are some really great episodes especially if you have a strong-willed child.
  • The Save the Kids Podcast How to keep kids safe from pornography and abuse, and help them develop healthy relationships with media.

Kids don’t come with instruction manuals, but we are fortunate enough to live in a world where there are endless resources to learn from.

I hope you find some of the parenting resources I’ve shared here are helpful to you, and would love to hear about what has benefited your life as a mama.

What are your favorite parenting resources? Please share them in the comments below so we can all learn together!

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