Taking a Peek Into Baby’s Brain
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THERE?
How the Brain and Mind Develop
in the First Five Years of Life
Lise Eliot, Ph.D.
Bantam Books
$26.95
533 pages
*
This is the perfect book for parents who are consumed with thoroughly understanding the science behind cognitive development in babies. Although it’s written by a neurobiologist who’s also a mother of three, it’s not terribly technical and entertains with its descriptions of real babies. Eliot begins the book with a review of influences in pregnancy that can affect fetal brain development, including environmental exposures. But the fun begins when she delves into explanations for why babies do what they do. She explains that sense of touch is one of the most advanced skills newborns possess (a nice bit of knowledge for new parents who are frustrated that they can’t seem to communicate with their infant by eye contact).
She discusses the research on infants and pain, concluding, among other things, that pain from shots and other minor procedures probably doesn’t cause a baby long-lasting psychological damage. Readers will learn that babies can experience smell in the womb; why babies love to be gently bounced and why babies sometimes gaze at an object. There is also an interesting discussion on sex differences, with Eliot arguing that parents may say they don’t treat boys and girls differently but actually reinforce gender stereotypes by what they choose to ignore or validate.
This is a terrific book. Expectant parents might consider reading it before the baby arrives.
FEEDING YOUR CHILD FOR LIFELONG HEALTH
Susan B. Roberts, Ph.D.,
and Melvin B. Heyman, M.D.,
with Lisa Tracy
Bantam Books
$15.95
353 pages
*
The growing rates of child obesity--and the long list of diseases related to obesity--should convince new parents that nutrition in the early childhood years is of lifelong importance. The authors, both pediatric nutrition experts, make a nice contribution to the field by insisting that how children are fed is as important as what they are fed. They dispute the advice that children will select a naturally nutritious diet if allowed to choose. The authors say that parents must be proactive in helping kids learn to enjoy health foods. They also point out that it’s easier to prevent food problems than solve them, and offer a concrete strategy for getting off to the right start. Thus, the majority of the book is devoted to establishing good food habits within the first two years of life.
