Beginning in the 1950s, researchers Stella Chess and Alexander Thomas noted that even very young children differ significantly in their personality traits, but in the decades since then, surprisingly little information has been made available to parents about how these different temperament types affect (or should affect) how we parent. In this relatively quick-to-read parenting book, two experts in child temperament take on this topic, both from a brain science perspective and from their own perspectives as mothers. The traits they describe and discuss are a little different than those described by Chess and Thomas in their oft-cited 1977 work on baby temperaments. But that’s largely because it takes into consideration more recent research that links temperament traits to brain function, which arguably makes it more accurate and practical than the countless parenting articles you’ll find online if you do a search on child temperament. In my opinion, this book is best suited for parents of school-aged kids even though it contains plenty of anecdotes and tips that are relevant to toddlers and adolescents as well.

I recently read "Parenting with Temperament in Mind" by Liliana J. Lengua and Maria Amy Gartstein, and I was pleasantly surprised by how practical it is! As someone without children of my own but with experience in childcare and assisting in raising & even fostering a few amazing kids, I found the book incredibly applicable. Unlike many parenting books that can be overly conceptual, this one offers real strategies based on a child's temperament, which made it easy to relate to my own experiences. I highlighted several key takeaways and felt validated in many of the approaches I currently use. I especially appreciated the science-backed insights, particularly about sleep; I was fascinated to learn how independent sleep varies across cultures. Kudos to the authors for such an informative and accessible guide! I give it a solid five stars!

***I would like to thank the publisher, authors, and NetGalley for gifting this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I strongly believe that being a good parent means that you have to read a lot of books and keep in mind that your child is not your extension, but a distinct human being. Learning about child psychology is one of the best things one can do before becoming a parent.

I was pleasantly surprised at how practical the content of this book was! Usually parenting books are very difficult to apply in real life because so much of the content is conceptual or black and white. This book provided a lot of very real ways to parent, based on multiple different factors that may be present in a child’s temperament. I highlighted many things to remember to start doing but also felt good about a lot of things that we currently do.

I appreciated all the science backed data points, particularly around sleep. I was very surprised to see the mention of how most infants in other countries do not sleep independently. Kudos to these authors for mentioning the origins of independent sleep!

As a parent, I am getting so many difficulties dealing with my child who has a very bad temperament. Every time he doesn't get what he want, he will do anything to make his wish coming true. Through this book, Parenting with temperament in kind, Liliana has helped me a lot to be an effective parent to understand and work more effectively with my child’s temperament.

The American Psychological Association has such an array of helpful books for kids and adults. This is one of my favorites, teaching parenting based on a child's unique temperament. I wish it would have been available for my parents, who would have learned valuable strategies for dealing with an introvert. Highly recommended!