Brain Rules for Baby (Updated and Expanded)

How to Raise a Smart and Happy Child from Zero to Five

By: John Medina

Narrated by: John Medina

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 best seller 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 two. 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.

©2014 John J. Medina (P)2014 John J. Medina

Critic reviews

"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)

"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)

Best baby development book I’ve read so far.

No pseudoscience. No bullshit. No doulas. All evidence based but still manages to be really funny and easy for us non academics to follow. I have recommended this book to all my pals and will be using the online resources as I bring up my baby.

A wealth of information!

Appreciated all angles tackled related to pregnancy and parenting. Will definitely recommend to all other parents I know.

Interesting and impactful- simplify the science behind parenting

Madina dive into the world of parenting simplifying scientific concept in a ver practical way. I specifically gain more trust due to the disclaimers and guidelines that he layout rather than "harsh rules "
Strongly recommend for new or upcoming parents

Evidence Based Parenting

Would you listen to Brain Rules for Baby (Updated and Expanded) again? Why?

I really appreciate how straight-forward, clear, and evidence-based this book is. It provided me some needed critique of my default attachment parenting using studies and science, not opinions.

interesting points to pay attention to

the book brings up some points to pay attention to that seem common sense but it's always nice to have sine science and data to back it up.

Loved this book!

I absolutely loved all the research in this book! Everything is in this book for what works best for a happy smart baby. At one point I cried of joy while reading this book because I had so much stress and guilt thinking I would never be a good enough mom, being that I don't have the funds to send her to the best schools. Pretty much everything I thought I was doing wrong doesn't even matter according to the research. I recommend this book to every parent!

Excellent book, well researched, engaging

Well researched, good narrative. Clearly outlined, credible. A must listen for any parent, or parent to be.

Just the rule book I needed

Medina was the ideal narrator for his own story and research. No one else would share it with such passion.

Extremely helpful! I highly recommend this book!

I noticed a lot of comments complaining about the expansion audio being poor. However there is maybe a total of 3 minutes of poor audio throughout the entire book! Don’t let that deter you. Amazing book and the guy articulates and does a great job. Easy on the ears! I highly recommend this book

Excellent resource

Reinforced lots of parenting and child development concepts I've read about in other places, and included many ways to implement them. Author/narrator based in science as well as love and empathy. I didn't mind the inconsistent audio quality, as it gave it a more personal touch. I only had to turn the speed down to 0.9 to better absorb all of the information!