Child Sponsorship and International Adoption Stories

Looking for parenting information? You’ve come to the right place!

We've compiled a detailed list of parenting websites, books and other resources, organized by topic and recommended by Holt's interdisciplinary team of health, nutrition and parenting experts. If you're an adoptive parent and you need more personalized support, Holt also offers a Post Adoption Coaching & Education (PACE) program to help parents address challenges they encounter as their children grow up.

On This Page:

Positive Parenting

Growth and Development

Parenting Children With Disabilities

Successful Feeding

Raising Resilient Kids

mother playing guitar while daughter dances on the bed

Positive Parenting

Parenting From the Inside Out
Daniel J. Siegel, MD, and Mary Hartzell, MEd

Blog Post

9 Best Science-Based Parenting Books – Top Picks 2022
Pamela Li, MS, MBA

Webpages / Websites

Robyn Gobbel Parenting and Behavior Free Resources

UW Center for Adoption Medicine (This is a great website with tons of articles, books and information for caregivers who are fostering, in the process of adopting or have already adopted a child. There's also lots of good information on sleep!)

Michigan Alliance for Families - Behavior Is Communication

Seattle Children's Hospital - Child-Directed Play

Aha! Parenting

CDC’s Positive Parenting Tips

Blog Posts

Importance of Self-Care: Why Parents Need Time Out to Recharge
Whitney Casares, MD, MPH, FAAP

Nationwide Children's Self-Care for Parents and Caregivers

Books

Parenting Without Borders: Surprising Lessons Parents Around the World Can Teach Us
Christine Gross-Loh

Shut Up About Your Perfect Kid: A Survival Guide for Ordinary Parents of Special Children
Gina Gallagher and Patricia Konjoian

Podcast

Hand in Hand Parenting Podcast

Webpages / Websites

CDC’s Legacy

PBS Self-Care for Parents

PEPS Self-Care for Parents

Parenting Now: Self-Care

The Center for Parenting Education

Books

The Connected Child
Karyn Purvis, PhD, David Cross, PhD, and Wendy Lyons Sunshine

The Connected Parent
Karyn Purvis, PhD, and Lisa Qualls

Video

Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development

Website

Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development

Growth and Development

Books

Building Healthy Minds: The Six Experiences That Create Intelligence and Emotional Growth in Babies and Young Children
Stanley Greenspan, MD, and Nancy Lewis

Touchpoints – Birth to Three
T. Berry Brazelton, MD, and Joshua D. Sparrow, MD

Touchpoints – Three to Six
T. Berry Brazelton, MD, and Joshua D. Sparrow, MD

What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience and Healing
Bruce Perry, MD, PhD, and Oprah Winfrey

PDF

CHOC Children’s Developmental Milestones: Fine Motor Skills and Visual Motor Skills

Webpages / Websites

Center for Parenting Education – Child Development by Age

All About Young Children: Information for Families on Children’s Early Development

CDC’s Developmental Milestones

CDC’s Milestones Photo and Video Library

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University

Child Development: The First 5 Years

Raising Children Network

Zero to Three: Ages and Stages

Zero to Three: Social and Emotional Development

smiling girl with down syndrome adopted from China surrounded by smiling adoptive parents and two brothers

Parenting Children With Disabilities

Book

Engaging Autism: Using the Floortime Approach to Help Children Relate, Communicate and Think
Stanley Greenspan, MD, and Serena Wieder, PhD

Research Article

Parents’ Strategies to Support Mealtime Participation of Their Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder
Karla K. Ausderau, corresponding author Brittany St. John, Kristen N. Kwaterski, Beth Nieuwenhuis and Erin Bradley, American Journal of Occupational Therapy

Websites

Challenging Behavior: Autistic Children and Teenagers

Cooperative Behavior: Autistic Children and Teenagers

DIR Floortime

Prenatal Exposures

Article

Prenatal Exposure to Drugs of Abuse May Affect Later Behavior and Learning
Robert Mathias, National Institute on Drug Abuse

Book

Trying Differently Rather Than Harder: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
Diane Malbin

PDFs

Behavioral Symptoms & Accommodations for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

Developmental and Behavioral Effects of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure

Podcast

FASD Family Life

Therapist

Eileen Devine, neurobehavioral support coach for parents

Video

Siblings With Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (An Adoption Story)

Webpages/Websites

CDC Basics About FASDs

Creating a Family – Prenatal Exposure

NTI Upstream

Websites

Sensory Sensitivities: Autistic Children and Teenagers

STAR Institute

The Child Mind Institute – Sensory Processing Topics

Blog Post

8 Steps to Advocating for Your Child at School
Amanda Morin

PDF

Child Welfare Information Gateway - Adoption and School Issues

Successful Feeding

Article

Ellyn Satter Institute: The Division of Responsibility in Feeding

Website

Holt International’s Feeding & Positioning Manual: Guidelines for Working With Babies and Young Children (with downloadable PDF)

Podcast

Food Issues With Adopted Children

Websites

Feeding Matters (resources, courses and support for caregivers and professionals)

Holt International’s Feeding & Positioning Manual: Guidelines for Working With Babies and Young Children (with downloadable PDF)

Article

Adoptive and Foster Child Feeding Problems
Ellyn Satter, MS, MSSW, dietitian and family therapist

Book

Love Me, Feed Me: The Adoptive Parent’s Guide to Ending the Worry About Weight, Picky Eating, Power Struggles and More
Katia Rowell, MD, The Feeding Doctor

PDF

0-12 Months Feeding Cues

Website

Holt International’s Feeding & Positioning Manual: Guidelines for Working With Babies and Young Children (with downloadable PDF)

Website

Holt International’s Feeding & Positioning Manual: Guidelines for Working With Babies and Young Children (with downloadable PDF)

Article

Making Family Meals Enjoyable: Six Tips

Website

Holt International’s Feeding & Positioning Manual: Guidelines for Working with Babies and Young Children (with downloadable PDF)

Article

Zero to Three: How to Handle Picky Eaters

Blog Post

Getting Your “Picky” Eater to Explore New Foods

Websites

Holt International’s Feeding & Positioning Manual: Guidelines for Working With Babies and Young Children (with downloadable PDF)

Your Kid's Table

Websites

Holt International’s Feeding & Positioning Manual: Guidelines for Working With Babies and Young Children (with downloadable PDF)

Your Kid's Table: Free Sensory Red Flags (with downloadable PDF)

Community Group

Your Kid’s Table Facebook Group

Websites

USDA Healthy Eating for Preschoolers

USDA MyPlate for Kids

Your Kid’s Table

Zero to Three: Health and Nutrition

group of girls playing tug of war at adoptee summer camp

Raising Resilient Kids

Article

Toddlers and Challenging Behaviors: Why They Do It and How to Respond

Online Publication

Post-Orphanage Behavior in Internationally Adopted Children
Boris Gindis, PhD, Center for Cognitive-Developmental Assessment & Remediation

PDF

Stages and Ages in Adoption

Video Series

What Behavior Is and How to Change It: Free 3-part Video Series
Robyn Gobbel

Website

Zero to Three: Challenging Behaviors

PDF

Managing Your Anger

Podcast

Parenting Puzzle Podcast (managing meltdowns series)

Webpages

Child Mind Institute - Managing Problem Behavior at Home

Webpage

Child Mind Institute - Helping Children Cope After a Traumatic Event

Webpages

American Psychological Association - Resilience Guide for Parents and Teachers

Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University - Resilience

Blog Post

Understanding the Stages of Emotional Development in Children
Hannah Meinke

Book

The Rabbit Listened
Cori Doerrfeld

Webpage/PDF

Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development: Emotional Development in Childhood

Article

Children and Divorce Help Guide
Gina Kemp, MA, Melinda Smith, MA, and Jeanne Segal, PhD

Books

Helping Children Cope With Separation and Loss
Claudia Jewett Jarratt (Harvard Common Press)
The book is out of print, but inexpensive, used copies are available through Amazon.com and other booksellers.

Tear Soup: A Recipe for Healing After Loss
Pat Schwiebert and Chuck DeKlyen

Articles

Are Your Kids Internal or External Processors?
Jenni Stahlmann and Jody Hagaman, POP Parenting

Internal vs. External Processing: What Is Your Thinking Style?
Sarah Bircher

Article

How to Help Children and Teens Manage Their Stress
from the American Psychological Association

Book

The Invisible String
Patrice Karst

Website/PDF

CHERISH Transition Toolkit (This is an awesome toolkit designed to be used for infants and toddlers who are transitioning between homes and/or caregivers.)