B and I both have been interested in reading books on good parenting technique. He finished all of The Happiest Toddler on the Block, while I only read through her age and a little after. We both agreed the book was very helpful. It's often a little cheesy but the real-life practical advice was exactly what we needed. We get down more often to her eye-level when speaking and have added a lot of things to help build consistency and routine for her, all of these and more being great fussiness/fit reducers. I think many of our peers approach parenting with a more wing-it style and, indeed, there's little more that needs to be said when your guiding principle is love her, love her, love her. But there are plenty of moments - more cropping up all the time - where I need to know how best to communicate with an inarticulate beast (she can be!) and minimize frustration. These things don't always come naturally. We are willing to work to be the best parents we can be for her, so bring it on, dorky books. We need all the help we can get.