Brain Rules for Baby (Updated and Expanded): How to Raise a Smart and Happy Child from Zero to Five

Once I found out my wife was pregnant I did a ton of research on baby books and my wife and I have read several which you'll see highly recommended in blogs, on Amazon, and elsewhere. This was by far the most useful and my favorite.The short of it is, you'll learn an insane amount about the science behind child rearing. The author does a great job of expressing when the science is truly unquestionable and when maybe a study hasn't been repeated or there are conflicting studies, so there really does not appear to be any bias in the book except towards science, which is not something I can say for any other book I read.I had seen some reviews where people complain about sexist or unnecessary remarks. Obviously everyone has a different sensitivity level to these things, but I personally did not find anything sexist and though there were some strange and perhaps unnecessary metaphors, it really did not detract from the overall tremendous value this book brought both me and my wife.It is amazing to go from feeling like you know nothing about raising a child to being able to look around you and see people doing things which have been proven to be scientifically "right" or "wrong" and understand the implications of those practices. If you believe in science, as I do, then I can't recommend this book enough.

This book is an absolute MUST have for first time parents. I wish I would have purchased before having my daughter, as I would have had more time to read it. It's taken me 5 weeks- I read while pumping.The author writes well- even while talking about nitty-gritty brain science stuff he uses relatable analogies and keeps it interesting. This book is not a undergrad science 101 book, but it relays important details about a child's neurodevelopment, the most relevant and up-to-date literature, and the implications for parenting, and he does it without making you want to scrape your eyeballs out.What I love about this book: it really gives a lot of great tips without subscribing to a "parenting style." This book isn't about how be a Sears or a Ferber parent (although he does discuss both and the literature available in the added "Sleep" chapter. This book is about what the most current science says about the way a child's brain develops, and how we, as parents can impact it for the better in an effort to raise happy children-which we all want.What's great about this book: he has the key points bullet-pointed at the end of the chapter, which helps bringing the whole point back home, as sometimes the chapter can get a little detailed heavy.Any cons?: Not really. I loved the book, from the info to the formatting.

I loved this book! I learned a great deal of how the brain develops and works. The stories are both enlightening and some are humoring. I never thought I'd be interested in reading a book like this but it truly was enjoyable and helpful for my husband and I as we are looking forward to one day becoming the "rookie parents" who raise a happy well rounded child. My only dislike is that it only talks about breast feeding as the best option (which it very well may be) when nursing your child. I would have given 5 stars had it had information on other options for people who may not be fortunate enough or didn't want to breast feed. Otherwise, this book is wonderful and I will definitely recommend to people trying to conceive and even parents of young children.

A lot of parenting books information out there were not based on solid research, and separating good advices from bad becomes tricky. This book is great because it highlight the crucial steps of parenting a baby and offers practical advice to raise healthy and happy babies.

It is a very useful guide to whom are planning to become parents, rookie parents and also parents who want to understand more science of raising a happy and smart kid.As an engineer, I'd like to understand why something works. Thus when I become a father, I would trust methods proven by data or scientific effect for raising a kid more, which are exactly shown to me by this book.Some methods I have learnt from experienced parents that are working, can be found in this book with explanations or proofs. Like the example of talking to your infant.Some others that are not working well, now I also know why, and what could be a better way, for example, tagging your kids' anger instead of just asking him to stop it, although I just started to apply and need more time to see the result.What's more, like the chapter describes, my relationship with my wife suffered after we had our son. This book helps us relieve a lot, we read some common mistakes we are making, we learnt that they can be resolved and how.

There is some good, practical, dare I say common sense? advise in the book. It is well written and does not read like a textbook like some of these do. It was a nice, quick read, and I could really relate to a lot of the situations described. The author does a great job at presenting findings and letting you make up your mind on what you think is best to apply in your situation. I like the scientific approach - Hypothesis to Study to Findings to how do I apply this? There is no set manual on how to raise a happy healthy smart child and this book does not pretend to be one. They just present some good information, practical advice and the science behind it. And when there is no definitive result to cite, they are honest about.

I agree with other reviewers, I would have loved this book to be written more academically. It’s targeted to a wide audience/layman reader. Therefore sometimes you can feel it lacks a more solid scientific approach. But, it’s well written/entertaining and fun. Light read and points out in the right direction in case you want to dive into a specific topic. It’s not the bible, it’s not an absolute instruction manual and that’s fine by me. I would recommend it. It’s interesting enough. But, I definitely will not buy any other books on babies and children. There are more efficient ways of obtaining the information you need as a parent. That’s just my opinion.

I'm a big reader and I read this just before I gave birth to my first child and it has given me the power of knowledge. Parenting isn't easy but it's easier when you can understand what your child is going through. I can see this book being brought out again and again as my little 6 month old gets older and older.I've also started noticing that this book is quoted as recommended reading in many of the parenting books I have brought (respectful parenting, positive parenting, simplicity parenting, etc...)I will be recommending this book to anyone I know who gets pregnant.

I’m the type or person who loves rules and guidelines. I find it very comforting to see a list of things I can do to give my child the best start that I possibly can. That reassurance is solidified by the fact that said rules are backed by studies and explained by an expert of the field.I highly recommend this book to any other parents who want a (mostly) clear list of guidelines.

Excellent! We are TTC and both are so happy we read this before pregnancy.We highly recommend! It is both anecdotal and practical whilst being scientific and heartwarming. HUGELY helpful in that in has made us feel like we have a solid arsenal of the best approach to pregnancy and parenting. It's not a book that tells you how to raise a genius, rather how to raise happy, good, kind humans!!! Recommend highly!Tip. I bought the kindle version first and quickly realised even with the "notes" function, that It would be much better to have a hard copy to have at hand, enabling us to refer to whenever. So 100% advise just get a hard copy so that you can highlight and peruse at your leisure in the future.

What an amazing book!! I've read practically everything there is to read on baby sleep cycles. This book covers this too.At first I thought it was slow, but once your in your captured by how much the author knows about his subjects(s).I've also read a lot on toddler tantrums and this too discusses this.If you are wanting science - this gives it to you in simple terms. The author also uses really good techniques to explain the more complex parts.I'm a busy simple mother so finding time to read books isn't easy but I was able to read through this before my son changed development stages.