Baby Development

In his New York Times best seller Brain Rules, Dr. John Medina told us how our brains really work—and why we ought to redesign our workplaces and schools. Now, in Brain Rules for Baby, he shares what the latest science says about how to raise smart and happy children from zero to five.

A tour of global practices that will inspire American parents to expand their horizons (and geographical borders) and learn that there’s more than one way to diaper a baby. Mei-Ling Hopgood, a first-time mom from suburban Michigan - now living in Buenos Aires - was shocked that Argentine parents allow their children to stay up until all hours of the night. Could there really be social and developmental advantages to this custom?

More adults with young children are committed to integrative and holistic health, but the available information can be overwhelming and confusing. Through accessible, evidence-based guidance, Dr. Joel Warsh helps parents work through the health concerns and developmental changes that come up during the first three years of life and navigate the unique realities of parenting today.

Long before they can talk, babies communicate their experience of the world through laughter and tears. Until now, however, psychologists and parenting experts have largely focused on moments of stress and confusion. Dr. Caspar Addyman is a developmental psychologist who decided to change that. For six years Caspar has run the Baby Laughter project, collecting data, videos, and stories from parents all over the world. He learned that laughter and smiles are of central importance at the start of life, defining our cognitive and emotional development.

Laura Dern and Diane Ladd always had a close relationship, but the stakes were raised when Diane developed a sudden life-threatening illness. Diane’s doctor prescribed long walks to build back her lung capacity. The exertion was challenging, and Laura soon learned the best way to distract her mom was to get her talking and telling stories. Their conversations along the way began to break down the traditional barriers between mothers and daughters.

Spirited infants are the outliers—the exceptions to the “rules,” the extraordinary ones. They arrive in this world genetically wired to be alert and intense. Spirited babies put parents to the test and raising them takes special skills and patient perseverance. In this groundbreaking new book, beloved parenting expert Mary Sheedy Kurcinka, Ed.D., offers her findings in the fields of neuroscience, sleep, temperament, self-regulation, attachment, and parent-child interactions, and shares what she has learned from hands-on experiences with families.

We have descriptors for many periods of life, but there is a period of profound change that many women face, often in their late 20s to early 40s, that does not yet have a name. Nell Frizzell is calling this period of flux “the panic years", and it is often characterized by a preoccupation with one major question: Should I have a baby? Frizzell uses personal stories from her own experiences in the panic years to illuminate the larger social and cultural trends and gives voice to the uncertainty, confusion, and urgency that tends to characterize this time of life.

The author - a.k.a. "The Baby Whisperer - unlocks the secrets of infant language so that any parents, grandparents, or caregiver can interpret what babies are "saying" and give them what they need.

The first six months with a new baby is a special and exciting time full of milestones and new experiences. This updated edition of Your Baby Week by Week explains the changes that your baby will go through in their first six months. Each chapter covers a week of their development so you’ll know when your baby will start to recognise you, when they’ll smile and laugh for the first time and even when they’ll be old enough to prefer some people to others!

This refreshingly candid resource fills a notable voice by providing real, honest, and raw insights into motherhood. With their nonjudgmental yet humorous tone, Caitlin and Chelsea provide a deep dive into all things #momlife.

In the last decade there has been a revolution in our understanding of the minds of infants and young children. We used to believe that babies were irrational, and that their thinking and experience were limited. Now Alison Gopnik - a leading psychologist and philosopher, as well as a mother - explains the cutting-edge scientific and psychological research that has revealed that babies learn more, create more, care more, and experience more than we could ever have imagined.

An approachable guide to what to eat - as opposed to what to avoid - while pregnant and nursing, to support the mother's health and the baby's development during each stage of pregnancy. New research suggests that the foods you eat during pregnancy can have lasting effects on your baby's brain development and behavior, as well as your waistline. Drawing from the fields of medicine, nutrition, and psychology, this easy-to-follow guide gives you a clear understanding of what your body really needs and how certain foods contribute to the development of a healthy and happy baby.

When Sara Zaske moved from Oregon to Berlin with her husband and toddler, she knew the transition would be challenging, especially when she became pregnant with her second child. She was surprised to discover that German parents give their children a great deal of freedom - much more than Americans. In Berlin, kids walk to school by themselves, ride the subway alone, cut food with sharp knives, and even play with fire. German parents did not share her fears, and their children were thriving.

One in three births is traumatic. It doesn’t have to be that way. Rebecca planned to give birth at the hospital affiliated with her university. But hospital practices and policies that were more than 20 years out of date left her with complications that seemed preventable. Embark on a journey with Rebecca as she exposes the stark realities of institutional care during childbirth and reveals inspirational solutions for parents and professionals alike.

Have you ever wondered why celebrities look so rested in such a short time after giving birth? The answer: baby specialists like Helen Moon. A baby specialist and professional nanny for the past 25 years, Helen has worked closely with hundreds of families, including some of Hollywood's biggest stars. Helen knows that the first six weeks of a baby's life - when parents tend to be nervous, siblings are needy, and new babies need immediate and constant attention - has a huge impact on the entire family.

Wenn Mama mit den Fingern wackelt, glucksen schon die Kleinsten voller Vorfreude – die unkomplizierten Spielereien erfreuen sich seit Jahrhunderten höchster Beliebtheit bei Groß und Klein. Ob Baby oder Kindergartenkind, mit flinken Wackelfingern landen Sie immer einen Volltreffer und damit die Fingerspiele auch nach endlosen Wiederholungen nicht langweilig werden, finden Sie in diesem Buch eine bunte Riesenauswahl an tollen Ideen für jede Situation!

A baby is a blessing - and also a completely life-altering event. Written by a psychologist and relationship expert, Baby Bomb offers powerful tools based in psychology and neurobiology to help you and your partner co-parent and co-partner as a supportive team - while also cultivating mad love for each other!

Carole Kramer Arsenault has spent the last two decades helping parents through pregnancy, labor, and all of their new responsibilities once baby comes home - both as a longtime pediatric nurse and as the founder of the most highly regarded baby care service in New England. From the first trimester to the fourth (baby’s crucial first three months), Arsenault and her team of professional nurses have seen it all.

In How Babies Sleep, Sofia Axelrod, PhD - neuroscientist, sleep consultant, and mother of two - introduces the first baby sleep method that is truly rooted in the science of sleep. After having her first child, Axelrod realized that the typical baby sleep advice conflicted with what she was finding in her mentor's Nobel Prize-winning sleep lab. She developed her transformative method based on the latest discoveries about our body's circadian clock and how it is disturbed by light and other external stimuli.

A baby’s immune system develops rapidly in the first 1,000 days of life, with the first six months and year being most important. In The Baby and the Biome, Meenal Lele, medical researcher and founder of Lil Mixins, the #1 pediatrician-recommended allergy-prevention product, explains how diet, environmental toxins, antibiotics, and even common parenting practices can damage the delicate balance of our children’s microbiomes, thereby increasing the risk for a host of immune diseases, including eczema, asthma, food allergies, IBS, and more.