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John Medina
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Brain Rules for Baby (Updated and Expanded): How to Raise a Smart and Happy Child from Zero to Five Paperback – April 22, 2014

by John Medina (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 3,160 ratings
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What’s the single most important thing you can do during pregnancy? What does watching TV do to a child’s brain? What’s the best way to handle temper tantrums? Scientists know.

In his New York Times bestseller Brain Rules, Dr. John Medina showed 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. This book is destined to revolutionize parenting. Just one of the surprises: The best way to get your children into the college of their choice? Teach them impulse control.

Brain Rules for Baby bridges the gap between what scientists know and what parents practice. Through fascinating and funny stories, Medina, a developmental molecular biologist and dad, unravels how a child’s brain develops – and what you can do to optimize it.

You will view your children—and how to raise them—in a whole new light. You’ll learn:

Where nature ends and nurture begins
Why men should do more household chores
What you do when emotions run hot affects how
your baby turns out, because babies need to feel safe
above all
TV is harmful for children under 2
Your child’s ability to relate to others predicts her
future math performance
Smart and happy are inseparable. Pursuing your child’s
intellectual success at the expense of his happiness
achieves neither
Praising effort is better than praising intelligence
The best predictor of academic performance is not
IQ. It’s self-control
What you do right now—before pregnancy, during pregnancy, and through the first five years—will affect your children for the rest of their lives. Brain Rules for Baby is an indispensable guide.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    336 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Pear Press
  4. Publication date
    April 22, 2014
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 1 x 9.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    9780983263388
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0983263388
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Dr. Medina hits the nail on the head with 'Brain Rules for Baby.' We are always looking for ways to make our kids smarter, better, happier. Medina gives such practical, usable advice and tips."
- Nina L. Shapiro, MD, UCLA School of Medicine

"An engaging and fun-to-read translation of the best research on child development and effective parenting. I gave Dr. Medina's book to my own son."
- Ginger Maloney, Ph.D, The Marsico Institute for Early Learning and Literacy

"John Medina uses a very readable and refreshing style to present parenting strategies in the context of factual scientific information."
- Jadene Wong, M.D., Stanford University School of Medicine

"If you've no room for another brain-development title, weed an old one to make room for this. Covering such topics as pregnancy, relationships, and "moral" babies, the book will educate even the most learned parents. Medina's humorous, conversational style make this an absolute please to read."
- Library Journal

"We recommend this book to all of our new-parent groups. With a gift for storytelling, Dr. Medina marries the science with practical advice that helps make sense of it all. Sleep-deprived parents still find time to read Brain Rules for Baby and love it."
- Laura Kussick, Executive Director, Program for Early Parent Support

About the Author

John Medina, a developmental molecular biologist, has a lifelong fascination with how the mind reacts to and organizes information. He is also the author of the New York Times bestseller Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School -- a provocative book that takes on the way our schools and work environments are designed. Medina is an affiliate Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He lives in Seattle, Washington, with his wife and two boys.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0983263388
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pear Press; Second edition (April 22, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780983263388
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0983263388
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 3,160 ratings

About the author

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John Medina

John Medina

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John Medina, author of the New York Times bestseller "Brain Rules" and the national bestseller "Brain Rules for Baby," is a developmental molecular biologist and research consultant. He is an affiliate professor of bioegineering at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
3,160 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Anna P.
5.0 out of 5 stars Buy it BEFORE baby, if possible, but definitely still relevant postpartum
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2018
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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.
12 people found this helpful
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Yau
5.0 out of 5 stars Down-to-earth and comprehensive advice for all parents (and parents-to-be) of young children
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2014
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I appreciate the down-to-earth, scientific, and reliable advice on what works and what doesn't. There are many theories out there, and worse yet many products, claiming to help babies be happier and smarter, all capitalizing on parents' love and fears. But this book helps not only to debunk those myths, but also to discover issues that were clouded by them. We are bombarded with advertisements on what to buy buy buy, and we check consumer reports to see what products are best. While we know at the back of our mind that things like disciplining and marital relationships are important, we don't spend enough time worrying about these things. This book emphasizes the importance of those missed issues, and gets us back to genuine parenting. The biggest myth that it debunks is that the new baby will simply bring cuteness and happiness to the family. While this is very true, the other side of the picture is overlooked. It's a one-way relationship: the baby takes, I give. If parents have a fairy-tale perception of parenthood, it will lead to trouble. We need to be prepared for a more realistic view of both the great joys and great difficulties of parenting.
22 people found this helpful
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Erica Bou
4.0 out of 5 stars Great informative and pleasantly entertaining.
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2020
Verified Purchase
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.
5 people found this helpful
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Kenneth hubbman
5.0 out of 5 stars Quick, informative read!
Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2020
Verified Purchase
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.
4 people found this helpful
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Ed Cottrell
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent guide to raising smart and moral children, despite minor flaws
Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2015
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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.
3 people found this helpful
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small-potato
5.0 out of 5 stars Provide scientific support for good methods to raise a child
Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2017
Verified Purchase
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.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Arrowhead
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read
Reviewed in Italy on March 19, 2024
Verified Purchase
I loveeee this book. It has taught me a lot on how to take care of my baby. Very inspiring!
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espressoshot
5.0 out of 5 stars Authoritative.
Reviewed in Germany on March 8, 2024
Verified Purchase
After reading this seminal work, my wife and I have gifted it to no fewer than four expecting couples (incidentally: as many as we know). That just about says it all.
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E Symphony
5.0 out of 5 stars It’s a decent book. Well written.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 28, 2022
Verified Purchase
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.
One person found this helpful
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Fernanda
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for new moms to be!
Reviewed in Mexico on November 30, 2020
Verified Purchase
I'm expecting my first baby and of course I have a lot of questions and concerns. This book was great because when you're expecting your first, you receive a lot of advice from everywhere and you don't know what's truth and what's just a myth, but here you can see from a scientific perspective what's happening with your child from pregnancy to 5yo.
Its very clear, very easy to read and the advise is actually very intuitive and logical, so it's easy to follow.
Highly recommended!!
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Monica
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!
Reviewed in Canada on June 4, 2020
Verified Purchase
This is one of the best and most influential books I’ve ever read. I will be recommending it to every single parent that I know; even my own parents! Lol

Personally, I’m a first-time mom, and naturally I want to do the very best for my baby and give her the best possible start at life. Well, I truly believe that this book will help me do that. Not only does the author’s cleverly humoured writing style help to create a deeper understanding of the concepts, but every single one of the concepts is the result of hundreds of empirical studies and scientific research. As someone with a degree in Cognitive Science, this really resonated with me.

This book is an absolute must-have. Regardless of what age your child is, this book is relevant and can help you become a better parent and have a better relationship with your child. I don’t think anyone should have kids without reading this book.
2 people found this helpful
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