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Busy Toddler's Guide To Actual Parenting: From Their First "No" to Their First Day of School
You don't need to feel alone in parenting. You don't need to feel like you're failing. And you definitely don't need another parenting book filled with theoretical advice about theoretical children. You need actual parenting help from an actual parent. It's time to feel confident in your parenting. Susie Allison, creator of the massive online community Busy Toddler , is a breath of fresh air. With her humor and engaging personality, she helps parents find their footing, shift their perspective on childhood, and laugh at the twists and turns of parenting we all face. (Yes, it's ok that your child licked a shopping cart - they pretty much all do that.) In Busy Toddler's Guide to Actual Parenting , Susie gives the achievable advice she's known for around the world, from daily life and #beingtwoisfine to tantrums and tattling and teaching the ABCs. The book also includes 50+ of her famous activities that have helped thousands of parents make it to nap time-FYI, the popsicle bath is a game-changer.
Susie shares real moments raising her three kids as well as her professional knowledge from eight years as a kindergarten and 1st grade teacher. Her simple and doable approach to parenting will leave you feeling so much better! Let Susie give you the actual parenting advice you need.
Susie shares real moments raising her three kids as well as her professional knowledge from eight years as a kindergarten and 1st grade teacher. Her simple and doable approach to parenting will leave you feeling so much better! Let Susie give you the actual parenting advice you need.
288 pages, Paperback
Published September 22, 2020
262 people are currently reading
1079 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 267 reviews
October 16, 2020
I've been following @BusyToddler on Instagram for a while now and was so excited to find out she had a parenting book coming out that compiled 50+ of her most popular activities into one book. The day I bought it, I sat down to read a few pages and didn't move until I was done. I loved every word! I bought it for the activities and didn't expect to feel so inspired by the advice. It felt like sitting down with a friend who is just a few steps ahead of me on this parenting journey and has such wisdom, perspective, and grace for this season of life. I repeatedly thought, "Why didn't I think of that before?!" I'm so glad to have these tools/phrases/ideas in my arsenal now and will refer back to it repeatedly. I So Loved It!
October 22, 2024
Honestly just really validating, especially the parts about having a taby (the weird middle ground between baby and toddler that she nicknames herself). I’m not a self help book person. I don’t like reading self help books and can probably count on one hand the amount I’ve read (and they were probably all for book clubs lol), so reading a parenting book was not at the top of my list. But I convinced myself to read this because I’ve followed her for years on insta and know/understand her style of parenting already and agree with a lot of it. And I needed ideas for activities to entertain a 16 month old 😅
I’m excited to try some of the activities now and when Eastyn gets older and some of them I probably won’t do at all. Which is fine. We all have different preferences as parents, and Susie explains that well.
This book will be a good book to return to in about a year or so when I have two under two/a toddler who needs more entertainment lol. But still lots of good advice to start implementing now.
I like that it’s easy to flip through and easy to see the activity chapters clearly apart from the advice chapters. Will make it easy to go back into when I need to find an activity or even advice.
I love that she was a teacher, and I can totally tell lol. Lots of activities overlapped with things I learned.
I’ve followed her account Busy Toddler for a couple years on Instagram, so some of the advice and activities were familiar. You will be getting some overlap, but I didn’t mind because it made buying the book worth it - I knew what I was getting into. It’s also nice having it all in one place since Instagram is hard to save things sometimes. (I forget she has a website too!) (I also moved all of my influencers to my secondary account (besides three of my top influencers lol), which I only check once or twice a week, so I actually don’t see her stuff as much as I used to - this book made me realize I miss looking at her account!)
I’m excited to try some of the activities now and when Eastyn gets older and some of them I probably won’t do at all. Which is fine. We all have different preferences as parents, and Susie explains that well.
This book will be a good book to return to in about a year or so when I have two under two/a toddler who needs more entertainment lol. But still lots of good advice to start implementing now.
I like that it’s easy to flip through and easy to see the activity chapters clearly apart from the advice chapters. Will make it easy to go back into when I need to find an activity or even advice.
I love that she was a teacher, and I can totally tell lol. Lots of activities overlapped with things I learned.
I’ve followed her account Busy Toddler for a couple years on Instagram, so some of the advice and activities were familiar. You will be getting some overlap, but I didn’t mind because it made buying the book worth it - I knew what I was getting into. It’s also nice having it all in one place since Instagram is hard to save things sometimes. (I forget she has a website too!) (I also moved all of my influencers to my secondary account (besides three of my top influencers lol), which I only check once or twice a week, so I actually don’t see her stuff as much as I used to - this book made me realize I miss looking at her account!)
April 25, 2024
"Parenting books are an interesting breed. There’s either the “yup, kids are awful” books, the “you’re an awful parent” books, or the “your child is a flower waiting for your calming wisdom to help it grow” books. Look, no offense to anyone who reads or wrote those books, but they don’t really fit my life..."
Busy Toddler's Guide To Actual Parenting was a somewhat interesting short read. However, I just didn't like the overall presentation. More below.
Author Susie Allison is the creator of Busy Toddler, a massive online community, which has led to her being featured on Good Morning America, PEOPLE Magazine, Good Housekeeping, and Women's Day, among others.
Susie Allison:
Allison writes with a lively style here, and peppers her writing with many attempts at humourous asides, and "mom slang." Maybe the target audience for this book are new moms, but much of her humour just didn't land with me. Adding tongue-in-cheek humour into a book is extremely hard to pull off effectively, and sadly, her repeated attempts at it managed to irritate the shit out of me as the book progressed (sorry).
The audiobook is also read by the author; with mixed results. She talks in an extremely exaggerated fashion here, accentuating her sentences and uptalking all the time; sort of like how you would talk to a toddler. This also got tiresome in a hurry.
The quote from the start of this review continues:
Although the book contained some mildly amusing writing, there was not too much substance here. Most of the advice she dishes out is no more than common sense. However, arguably, common sense is becoming somewhat of a rare commodity these days...
She has a lengthy blurb of writing about the problem with labeling the notoriously difficult time in a young person's life that coincides around their 24-month mark "the terrible 2s." LMAO. I'm not sure about her kids, but my 2 year old can be an absolute full-blown nightmare at times. And all the calm empathizing and soft speaking to her about how much I understand her frustration doesn't help at all, or de-escalate the situation in any way whatsoever. She just screams her lungs out until her forehead vein is bulging out. The only thing that I've found that works in such a situation is calmly placing her in a short time out.
Many of the authors of these newer books about raising children are not fans of punishments like spanking, or even time-outs. Or even telling the child what they did was wrong. In a broad-based trend that began back in the late 60s, much of the advice around raising children is so punishment-averse to the point of being completely impotent. There's a decent amount of talk along these lines here, although the author does mention the importance of following rules a few times. Interestingly, though, there is no talk in here about punishments of any kind; reinforcing what I wrote above.
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not advocating for being a strict disciplinarian. But, there is a middle ground. I would advise all newer parents to always deal with their children from a base of love and empathy, with the understanding that there are rules that need to be followed. Not following rules has consequences, just like the real world; which you as a parent are supposed to be preparing them for...
Many of the authors of these books seem to want to treat children the same way they treat their peers. Children are not adults. They don't have fully formed pre-frontal cortexes. They don't have accurate frames of reference. They don't have well-adjusted moral compasses. They are largely incapable of emotional regulation. So, while you should consider this as a parent, talking to your child like they're an adult and attempting to use reason and rationality with them through all the challenges they face often simply doesn't work.
Sometimes kids need to know that they are not allowed to do everything they want. My daughter wants to pull the cat around the house by the tail like a vacuum cleaner all the time. And while I've tried explaining to her that a cat is a living creature that we need to be gentle with, she still wants to do this. So, I don't say: "I understand you think the cat is a vacuum cleaner, but please consider his feelings..." I say: "Don't pull kittie's tail!" Short, concise, and clear. I'm not sure why the authors of books like this seem to be averse to this kind of thing.
She also places a large emphasis on children having high "self-esteem" here. The self-esteem movement gained momentum in the 90s, and sounds good; on its face. However, having high self-esteem does not translate into a better, more adjusted adult. The social psychologist Roy Baumeister did a lot of research on self-esteem, and his findings were the opposite of what he thought. The last few books I've read about kids talked at length about the problems with the self-esteem movement.
Here is a short summary (taken from the book NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children):
Although she does spend a bit of time talking about the importance of raising emotionally well-adjusted children over academic performance, she also uses a lot of airy-fairy language throughout. She drones on and on; talking without saying very much. Near the end of the book she tells the reader "You ARE a good parent!" Well, not to be pedantic, but how does she know this?? I mean, I could actually be a terrible parent. Maybe it's just me, but this seemed like a stupid thing to say.
********************
Busy Toddler's Guide To Actual Parenting was a mixed bag. While some of the material was interesting, I didn't really enjoy the book. There are quite a lot of first-hand stories from the author about her kids, which I found added little value.
I wasn't a fan of the overall presentation of the book. Thankfully, it wasn't much longer, or I would have put it down.
2.5 stars.
Busy Toddler's Guide To Actual Parenting was a somewhat interesting short read. However, I just didn't like the overall presentation. More below.
Author Susie Allison is the creator of Busy Toddler, a massive online community, which has led to her being featured on Good Morning America, PEOPLE Magazine, Good Housekeeping, and Women's Day, among others.
Susie Allison:
Allison writes with a lively style here, and peppers her writing with many attempts at humourous asides, and "mom slang." Maybe the target audience for this book are new moms, but much of her humour just didn't land with me. Adding tongue-in-cheek humour into a book is extremely hard to pull off effectively, and sadly, her repeated attempts at it managed to irritate the shit out of me as the book progressed (sorry).
The audiobook is also read by the author; with mixed results. She talks in an extremely exaggerated fashion here, accentuating her sentences and uptalking all the time; sort of like how you would talk to a toddler. This also got tiresome in a hurry.
The quote from the start of this review continues:
"...I’ve always wished there was a parenting book out there that went right down the middle and was filled with real information about day-to-day life with kids. You know, one that shared things like, “Yup, it’s totally normal that your kid just licked that tree.” I’ve decided to write that book and FYI, I have seen all three of my kids eat bark before and it’s been fine.
I’m an actual mom. I have three actual kids and I actually really like them. I don’t always love that they like to hang out with me when I’m going to the bathroom or that they ask for a second helping of dinner the moment I sit down (solid eyeroll), but they’re still pretty awesome.
I also look at parenting life from a teacher’s angle—it’s given me a unique perspective and background for this job. I taught kindergarten and first grade for eight years, and I have applied my knowledge of education and child development to help my family flourish. Through my Busy Toddler website and Instagram account, I’ve also helped hundreds of thousands of others with quality parenting tips and appropriate learning techniques. I’m so honored to get to help you now too."
Although the book contained some mildly amusing writing, there was not too much substance here. Most of the advice she dishes out is no more than common sense. However, arguably, common sense is becoming somewhat of a rare commodity these days...
She has a lengthy blurb of writing about the problem with labeling the notoriously difficult time in a young person's life that coincides around their 24-month mark "the terrible 2s." LMAO. I'm not sure about her kids, but my 2 year old can be an absolute full-blown nightmare at times. And all the calm empathizing and soft speaking to her about how much I understand her frustration doesn't help at all, or de-escalate the situation in any way whatsoever. She just screams her lungs out until her forehead vein is bulging out. The only thing that I've found that works in such a situation is calmly placing her in a short time out.
Many of the authors of these newer books about raising children are not fans of punishments like spanking, or even time-outs. Or even telling the child what they did was wrong. In a broad-based trend that began back in the late 60s, much of the advice around raising children is so punishment-averse to the point of being completely impotent. There's a decent amount of talk along these lines here, although the author does mention the importance of following rules a few times. Interestingly, though, there is no talk in here about punishments of any kind; reinforcing what I wrote above.
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not advocating for being a strict disciplinarian. But, there is a middle ground. I would advise all newer parents to always deal with their children from a base of love and empathy, with the understanding that there are rules that need to be followed. Not following rules has consequences, just like the real world; which you as a parent are supposed to be preparing them for...
Many of the authors of these books seem to want to treat children the same way they treat their peers. Children are not adults. They don't have fully formed pre-frontal cortexes. They don't have accurate frames of reference. They don't have well-adjusted moral compasses. They are largely incapable of emotional regulation. So, while you should consider this as a parent, talking to your child like they're an adult and attempting to use reason and rationality with them through all the challenges they face often simply doesn't work.
Sometimes kids need to know that they are not allowed to do everything they want. My daughter wants to pull the cat around the house by the tail like a vacuum cleaner all the time. And while I've tried explaining to her that a cat is a living creature that we need to be gentle with, she still wants to do this. So, I don't say: "I understand you think the cat is a vacuum cleaner, but please consider his feelings..." I say: "Don't pull kittie's tail!" Short, concise, and clear. I'm not sure why the authors of books like this seem to be averse to this kind of thing.
She also places a large emphasis on children having high "self-esteem" here. The self-esteem movement gained momentum in the 90s, and sounds good; on its face. However, having high self-esteem does not translate into a better, more adjusted adult. The social psychologist Roy Baumeister did a lot of research on self-esteem, and his findings were the opposite of what he thought. The last few books I've read about kids talked at length about the problems with the self-esteem movement.
Here is a short summary (taken from the book NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children):
"Baumeister concluded that having high self-esteem didn’t improve grades or career achievement.
It didn’t even reduce alcohol usage. And it especially did not lower violence of any sort. (Highly aggressive, violent people happen to think very highly of themselves, debunking the theory that people are aggressive to make up for low self-esteem.)
At the time, Baumeister was quoted as saying that his findings were “the biggest disappointment of my career.”
Now he’s on Dweck’s side of the argument, and his work is going in a similar direction. He recently published an article showing that for college students on the verge of failing in class, esteem-building praise causes their grades to sink further. Baumeister has come to believe the continued appeal of self-esteem is largely tied to parents’ pride in their children’s achievements: it’s so strong that “when they praise their kids, it’s not that far from praising themselves.”
Although she does spend a bit of time talking about the importance of raising emotionally well-adjusted children over academic performance, she also uses a lot of airy-fairy language throughout. She drones on and on; talking without saying very much. Near the end of the book she tells the reader "You ARE a good parent!" Well, not to be pedantic, but how does she know this?? I mean, I could actually be a terrible parent. Maybe it's just me, but this seemed like a stupid thing to say.
********************
Busy Toddler's Guide To Actual Parenting was a mixed bag. While some of the material was interesting, I didn't really enjoy the book. There are quite a lot of first-hand stories from the author about her kids, which I found added little value.
I wasn't a fan of the overall presentation of the book. Thankfully, it wasn't much longer, or I would have put it down.
2.5 stars.
January 27, 2021
If you follow Busy Toddler on Instagram, you won’t really find any new information in this book
September 6, 2022
I can’t speak highly enough of this book, it’s so useful because of its practicality and applicability. At first, I felt like a lot of the chapters weren’t useful to me but it’s just because those aren’t my areas of struggle with parenting. When I got farther in to the areas I need help with, it was sooooo good. I love that she lifts parents up rather than setting unrealistic expectations and generating shame. I love that she has actual words, phrases, activities, and adventures for so many situations. Reading it was so relatable in a relieving way. I’m going to keep it near at hand because it’s easy to reference with short targeted chapters and I’d recommend it to all!
April 19, 2025
A parenting book meets an activity book meets practical encouragement from a mom who's been in the trenches... this felt VERY relatable, almost like a mom friend giving you nuggets of wisdom and fun things to do with your kids!
In years past, I enjoyed following her social media account, but I prefer having her simple activities and topics laid out in this easy to read format.
Many of these activities would be fantastic ways to occupy a "taby" or toddler while homeschooling older children, too.
Highly recommend!
In years past, I enjoyed following her social media account, but I prefer having her simple activities and topics laid out in this easy to read format.
Many of these activities would be fantastic ways to occupy a "taby" or toddler while homeschooling older children, too.
Highly recommend!
April 25, 2023
Great parenting advice and activity ideas. While reading this, I put together a sensory bin for my daughter with just uncooked rice and a bunch of scoops, utensils, etc. This is not an exaggeration: My daughter has spent countless hours playing with it in the last week. My child, who does not typically play independently, is now playing more independently. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for hands on, simple, and inexpensive activities for your toddlers.
April 1, 2021
I really liked the activities in this book. I also loved the ideas and thoughts behind it. I didn’t love the format or the author’s voice. It felt too much like a blog post or social media post. But I guess that’s what she does. Some of it was also repetitive. That being said, I would recommend it and I’m glad I have a hard copy because I’m sure I will be referencing the activities a lot.
January 11, 2025
4.5 ⭐️
I actually first read this book when it hit the shelves in 2020. I followed Susie on Instagram and really loved her content. I was a mom with 2 kids under 3, and we were in the fall of COVID. Life was stressful, I was still adjusting to life with a toddler and a baby and working full time, and this book was so kind and so good for my soul. It reminded me that no one was actually watching me parent like I thought, that I was doing a fine job, and that I could give myself and my kids some more grace. It also provided me with some cute, easy activities. The book itself is just really pretty and colorful and easy to read.
It’s now 2025, and my kids are 2.5, 4.5, and 7. I’m a SAHM. I’m not on Instagram at all. I don’t care at all what people think of my parenting. And I have very little reservations about taking all three of my kids into public spaces like the grocery store, a playground, or the zoo. I am a hilariously different person than the one who read this book in the fall of 2020 😂
I picked it up again to snag some activities for my 2.5 and 4.5 year old during the miserable Chicago winter. So far, the reminders have been helpful!
And I would recommend this book to any parent, new or seasoned, who needs a few gentle reminders in those early years or who is looking for some easy activities to engage kiddos.
I actually first read this book when it hit the shelves in 2020. I followed Susie on Instagram and really loved her content. I was a mom with 2 kids under 3, and we were in the fall of COVID. Life was stressful, I was still adjusting to life with a toddler and a baby and working full time, and this book was so kind and so good for my soul. It reminded me that no one was actually watching me parent like I thought, that I was doing a fine job, and that I could give myself and my kids some more grace. It also provided me with some cute, easy activities. The book itself is just really pretty and colorful and easy to read.
It’s now 2025, and my kids are 2.5, 4.5, and 7. I’m a SAHM. I’m not on Instagram at all. I don’t care at all what people think of my parenting. And I have very little reservations about taking all three of my kids into public spaces like the grocery store, a playground, or the zoo. I am a hilariously different person than the one who read this book in the fall of 2020 😂
I picked it up again to snag some activities for my 2.5 and 4.5 year old during the miserable Chicago winter. So far, the reminders have been helpful!
And I would recommend this book to any parent, new or seasoned, who needs a few gentle reminders in those early years or who is looking for some easy activities to engage kiddos.
February 6, 2021
I loved this book! The ideas are fantastic and relatable and it was a super fun read as well. Definitely would purchase and read again.
March 15, 2021
Allison puts into words everything I know and believe about the philosophy of parenting and provides extensive tips and tools beyond that. I absolutely love this book.
December 8, 2022
I knew I was going to buy this after reading it for like 15 minutes (borrowed from the library) and found myself talking about it with all the moms in my life, and it started discussions and sparked ideas and made me really excited for toddlerdom. 10/5 stars
February 25, 2023
Full of pictures of great ideas for play. Wouldn’t make sense as an ebook/ audible. Practical easy read!
February 13, 2021
AMAZING. Usually parenting books are overwhelming and discouraging- but this felt down to earth, real, and doable. I felt seen as a parent and felt like I came away with more things in my tool belt to help my kids through these early years. Susie has done it again!
January 12, 2021
I have read a lot of parenting books. I also teach preschool and have read a lot of early childhood books. This seriously was the best of both worlds. Yes, there are other books that are more about teaching, but this one is aimed at parenting (naturally all parents ARE their kid's first teacher, so that is always a part of being a parent). I loved that she used more informal language and it read like a friend talking to you rather than educator to educator (the author was a K and 1st grade teacher). The book is full of activities and practical advice. It's written from someone with real experience in mind. Her philosophies are very closely related to my own and I admit I probably liked the book even more because it was validating. As a preschool teacher, I really appreciated her emphasis on how much play is important in a child's development. How at a young age memorizing ABCs and 123s, though brag worthy, is not nearly as important as the less measurable skills learned through play, such as problem solving, communication, empathy, and socializing. I would highly recommend this to any parent with a child from year 1 up through second grade. I admit, there were even some thing in there that were valuable to me as I thought of interacting with my teenagers and basic parent-child connection.
April 22, 2023
Alright I feel like I’m handing out five stars like Oprah’s Christmas episode, but y’all this book is so good! I will repeat that from the top of my lungs while driving my minivan good! Susie’s gives practical advice when it comes to parenting that’s so easy to implement and do. I really enjoy her idea of not parenting alone, including a friend over or meeting a friend while you tackle an outing. Sounds simple, but when you have little ones trying to get out the door seems like a circus act just waiting to fall apart. Her chapters are easy to read and provide a great overview at the end to chew on. Also don’t even get me started on her activities, they are sooo dang simple but will entertain your little ones longer than any Daniel Tiger episode (love you Mom tiger, just screen time is limited in the Mills house😬).
Please check out Susie’s free resources on her website, social media page or newsletter. She has great age based activities for your children to enjoy while you sittervise 😉
Please check out Susie’s free resources on her website, social media page or newsletter. She has great age based activities for your children to enjoy while you sittervise 😉
March 11, 2021
Edit: This review is for the audiobook, which is abridged. I probably would have liked the unabridged book more
The first part of the book is really good, but the latter half devolves into the parenting book trap of “this is what I did, so this is what is right.” If these points were backed with cited research, they would be more convincing. There definitely is research out there for some of the topics mentioned, such as sensory bins. Most parents today are clever enough to understand and even require reference to professional studies, so the lack of any comes off as a bit lazy. I really like the busy toddler Instagram page, so I was disappointed with that aspect of this book. Without evidence-based research, the writing seems preachy and almost condescending.
The first part of the book is really good, but the latter half devolves into the parenting book trap of “this is what I did, so this is what is right.” If these points were backed with cited research, they would be more convincing. There definitely is research out there for some of the topics mentioned, such as sensory bins. Most parents today are clever enough to understand and even require reference to professional studies, so the lack of any comes off as a bit lazy. I really like the busy toddler Instagram page, so I was disappointed with that aspect of this book. Without evidence-based research, the writing seems preachy and almost condescending.
February 13, 2021
I’ve followed Susie on Instagram for awhile now and loved getting my hands on a real life book with all her tips, tricks, and activity ideas in one place! She is so down to earth, amusing, and basically genius when it comes to the realm of early childhood. Totally worth the time, and I will definitely be referring back to this when my son gets a little older.
August 11, 2021
The activities seem pretty reasonable and engaging for the audience, but overall the book was a bit choppy (lots of one sentence paragraphs). It felt a little more like a scrapbook - glossy, lots of color images and personal stories - than a manual.
February 20, 2021
Chapters 11 (Tantrums) and 21 and 22 (siblings and fighting) had excellent, practical tips! Tons of fun/easy activities too.
January 3, 2022
I love everything about this book. I've been a lover of Susie Allison's Instagram for a long time and recently bought Playing Preschool for my 3yo. This book is everything I hoped it would be. It's a great breakdown of activities Allison shows on her Instagram account with additional recommendations and explanations for why the activities are so valuable for little kids. One of my favorite things about this book though is the real life approach (the acknowledgement that sometimes you're just in "survival mode") and the emphasis on letting--and encouraging--kids to be kids. In a time when comparison is the thief of too many of our joys as parents and rote memorization and kindergarten readiness lurk like movie monsters around a dark corner, Allison's approach is a sunbeam, shining light on what it is kids and parents really need. After all we're not raising kindergartners; we're raising people.
September 19, 2021
Susie is amazing and you can follow her blog and/or on Instagram to get basically all of this information. But compiling it into one place is GREAT. When I had a toddler I printed off these sensory bin ideas and put into a cheap binder. Yeah. I haven’t read any parenting books I’d recommend (YES I AM LOOKING AT YOU “OH, CRAP”*) unless you get the Spark Notes but Susie deserves the 5 Stars, no matter where you choose to find her work. I wonder if she’ll be around for the teenage years…
*I am happy if you were happy using Oh, Crap for your child’s potty training.
*I am happy if you were happy using Oh, Crap for your child’s potty training.
June 2, 2022
I love Susie. Her IG account @Busytoddler is phenomenal even if your kids are older than toddlers. This book is more about tips and tricks and gaining some perspective. It is not prescriptive and it doesn’t leave you feeling like you have done everything wrong. I do wish there was more advice about consequences, but I found the chapters on tantrums, siblings, and it’s okay to be 2 helpful. A lot of it is a mental shift for the parent. She’s a former teacher, so it’s really about how do you teach your child the skills you want them to have (self-regulation, expressing emotions, asking for help, etc) more than it is about beating back bad behavior. It’s not rocket science or filled with tons of psycho-babble. I liked that. I read it in one sitting.
April 3, 2022
This book is super practical and full of her real-life parenting experiences. A lot of the book content is also on her website or Instagram page so it wasn’t all new to me, but she shares a plethora of easy activities for kids and I love and agree with her thoughts on pretty much everything. I especially love that she encourages parents to realize that being a toddler isn’t easy, and we need to give them lots of grace. They want to accomplish so many things but lack the skills to do most of them, which would be very frustrating.
“In an era full of parenting guilt, let’s turn our backs to the noise and say ‘I’m doing the best I can for my child and I feel great about it.’”
“In an era full of parenting guilt, let’s turn our backs to the noise and say ‘I’m doing the best I can for my child and I feel great about it.’”
January 18, 2024
I really enjoyed this one! Straightforward parenting advice, uplifting and simple language, and short chapters. Unlike so many parenting books that are dense and academic, this book was actually written for busy parents of young children.
4 stars because I follow @BusyToddler on Instagram, so I did feel like I’ve already seen most of the parenting advice in the book (although some information was still new to me!) and many of the activities are available to find on her website.
4 stars because I follow @BusyToddler on Instagram, so I did feel like I’ve already seen most of the parenting advice in the book (although some information was still new to me!) and many of the activities are available to find on her website.
February 23, 2021
As an early childhood educator, and mother of two, I’ve followed Susie on BusyToddler for years!! I was so excited to hear she had written a book, but also thought “if I follow her, what more will the book have?” But I was not disappointed! She had so many great ideas, advice and most of all she GETS IT! Thank you Susie!
April 9, 2021
So accessible and realistic!
I loved this. I’ve read many parenting books and this is in my top 3. Susie is realistic, encouraging, and it’s written in such a way that you aren’t bogged down with statistics and words. She synthesizes it all down for you and teaches you simply. Plus, the lists are amazing! The activities are simple and doable. Highly recommend.
I loved this. I’ve read many parenting books and this is in my top 3. Susie is realistic, encouraging, and it’s written in such a way that you aren’t bogged down with statistics and words. She synthesizes it all down for you and teaches you simply. Plus, the lists are amazing! The activities are simple and doable. Highly recommend.
February 1, 2021
I'm so happy I bought my own copy of this book as I will be referring to it often! I've used her Playing Preschool curriculum, so I knew I was in for a good read. I was definitely engaged in every page, and I am eager to try every activity.
December 26, 2021
I need a hard copy of this book once Jake is a toddler! I love Susie’s down-to-earth, positive, intentional, and guilt-free approach to parenting. The book reads like an extended social media post, which got old after a while, but the content and activities are definitely worth five stars.
October 8, 2023
5 stars for a parenting book. I’ve always loved Susie’s style and methodology (big believer in my “union break” and TV as a tool) and we did her preschool program as well. Read 95% of this book a while ago and finally finished the last ten pages today haha.
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