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

Love this book
I highly recommend giving this book a good read if you are planning on having children or already do. Taught me so much information!

Great informative and pleasantly entertaining.
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.

Excellent guide to raising smart and moral children, despite minor flaws
This is a great primer on how a baby’s brain works. It has some pure science—what parts of the brain are responsible for certain tasks—but it’s mostly a how-to manual for parents. The key takeaways are: practice empathy; discipline your child firmly, quickly, fairly, and predictably; minimize screen time in favor of guided, creative play; and reward and praise effort rather than raw talent. There is much more to these concepts, of course, and there are many other good tidbits in the book, which are what makes the book worthwhile.This is a surprisingly easy read, but also an incredibly helpful one. If you want to raise healthy, happy, smart, moral children, this book deserves your time.Note: the book does contain some misleading discussion of a couple of topics, particularly the theory of evolution. At times, it puts the cart before the horse by confusing cause and effect, and at other times it seems to be making baseless assertions. These flaw, however, do not detract from the book’s purpose, so I did not deduct a star.

Quick, informative read!
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.

My hubby and I are expecting our first baby and I have been feeling some anxiety of what it’s going to be like. How do I know if I’m doing things right? What are the important milestones and things I should always be aware of?Just so many questions and uncertainties!!This book has eased our anxiety and is helping us feel more prepared. We took turns reading a chapter each night and discussing what we learned. It is a great read and a way to bond with your significant other. We have already suggested this book to a few of our friends and plan to read it once more together before or after the baby comes. Worth the buy 100%

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.

O livro não vai te ensinar técnicas ‘operacionais’ diárias de como cuidar do seu bebê. Há outros livros no mercado com essa função.O autor de certa forma foca na filosofia dos pais. Há dicas práticas, mas o objeto principal é na maneira geral de ‘raise’ o seu filho de 0 a 5. E mais importante, sempre com base em estudos acadêmicos empíricos para dar suporte. De certa forma, o autor desmistifica diversas ‘sabedorias’ propagadas de boca que, apesar de muitas vezes serem bem intencionadas, não trazem ganhos reais para o desenvolvimento intelectual e emocional da criança.Exemplos – sempre considerando “na’média dos casos”:1) Amamentação materna até pelo menos 1 ano de vida, não só dá mais saúde física para o seu bebê, mas também melhor desenvolvimento cerebral por toda a vida;2) Ao invés de elogiar seu filho pelo resultado, tipo: “(…) é um gênio” ou “(…) é tão linda” o tempo todo, foque em parabenizar o esforço e dedicação nas atividades e estudos;3) Contato facial com adultos é determinante e conversar com o bebê influenciará na sua habilidade de se alfabetizar mais rápido;4) 50% são genes e os outros 50% podem ser desenvolvidos.E assim vai…Excelente material!