The Emotional Life of the Toddler Book

The Emotional Life of the Toddler was published in 1993 and it suffers from the lack of some of the latest attachment research and access to more recently published parenting resources. Lieberman's chapters on "The Challenges of Being (and Raising) a Toddler" and "The Toddler in Childcare" are very good. The chapter about divorce and how to help a child negotiate all of the changes and tensions inherent in the break-up of a family offers a big picture understanding as well as specific advice. Her chapters on temperament, active, and shy toddlers, are covered much more specifically in The Highly Sensitive Child by Elaine Aron and Raising Your Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka, but Lieberman provides an overview for parents looking to understand their child's temperament. I'd recommend this book to folks looking to understand more about their toddlers, but if you're looking for advice about how to parent a toddler, there are much better books out there.