Bright From the Start: The Simple, Science-Backed Way to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind fromBirth to Age 3 (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Paula Spencer (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Dr. Jill Stamm's Bright from the Start gives parents the most leading-edge approach to maximizing their children's intellectual potential - a powerful advantage in today's competitive world. These are critically important tools that will enhance your child's mind and solidify the parent-child bond. -- David Perlmutter, MD, FACN, Board-Certified Neurologist, Author, Raise a Smarter Child by Kindergarten

If all newborns could come with an instruction book this would be it. -- Kenneth S. Kosik, M.D., Professor of Neuroscience and Co-Director Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara

In the tradition of the WHAT TO EXPECT books, BRIGHT FROM THE START gives parents of newborns and toddlers essential information on healthy development. What we are learning today from brain research is amazing, and this book makes that research into a parent-friendly tool. I highly recommend this practical and very important book. -- Michael Gurian, author of Nurture The Nature and The Wonder of Boys

Jill Stamm has synthesized an important set of brain science findings and made them accessible to all those interested in offering children the best of cutting-edge knowledge on what helps a child develop. Every parent should take the opportunity to use these no-hype, down-to-earth, brain-based practical tips that can help make parenting more effective, understandable, and fun. -- Daniel Siegel, MD, Co-Author, Parenting From The Inside Out, Author, The Developing Mind, UCLA School of Medicine

Yes! A baby's and toddler's brain is different from yours or mine. This book is a gem and will help you enrich your child's life and 'nourish' his/her growing brain with the great love and intelligent fun. -- Harvey Karp, MD, author of The Happiest Toddler on the Block

Product Description

Should I really read to my baby? Is all TV bad, or only some TV? What kind of toys do babies need? Can teaching a baby sign language really boost IQ? How should my caregiver be stimulating my baby? Should I pipe classical music into the nursery?

New parents are often overwhelmed with information and advice, and in an effort to give their babies the best chances in life they buy DVDs, CDs, toys, and gear all meant to make them smarter. As co-founder of New Directions Institute for Infant Brain Development, Dr. Jill Stamm knows what most parents and child caregivers suspect: the way we care for a very young child’s developing brain has the power to shape and influence many aspects of his or her life. Contrary, however, to the belief that the "right things" can make your child a genius, the research shows that what your child needs is simpler than you think and within every parent’s ability to provide. In Bright from the Start, Jill translates the latest neuroscience findings into clear explanations and practical suggestions, showing you the importance of the simple ways you interact with your child every day. A leading authority in infant brain development, Dr. Stamm makes new, remarkable findings accessible to everyone in Bright from the Start. What babies need isn’t a lot of "edu-tainment." What they need is as easy as A, B, C:

ATTENTION: showing you how to increase a child’s attention span, and how to balance stimulation with down time.
BONDING: illustrating the importance of developing a strong emotional attachment between a child and a consistent caregiver—and why this is key to cognitive development.
COMMUNICATION: with breakthrough advice for tapping the connection between verbal engagement with parents and higher IQ rates among children.

Stamm also discusses what kind of childcare environment to select, why learning toys don’t teach as much as you think, why reading to baby is critical and why you should limit TV time. Practical games and tips for each developmental age group will show you not only what the latest findings are but more importantly, tell you what to do with them.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Gotham (August 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592402852
• ISBN-13: 978-1592402854
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,948 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #1 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Biology > Neurobiology
  #7 in	Books > Parenting & Families > Parenting > School-Age Children
  #45 in	Books > Parenting & Families > Parenting > Babies & Toddlers > Child Development

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Warm, informative, fun, and fascinating, December 15, 2007

By	Rainbird Reader (Ketchikan, Ak USA) - See all my reviews

I work as a children's librarian and sometimes lecture on early childhood literacy. This is my new textbook and parent bible. Having read dozens of similar titles, I can easily say that this one is the best. It is thorough, informative, practical, conversational and true. I learned a number of things about brain development and early learning that I had not come across previously. Dr. Stamm has some especially pointed things to say about TV and computer time for young children. When you read what a typical TV show does to a young brain you will think twice about turning that machine on in the presence of a child. As Dr. Stamm says, what you really need to be a good parent is in the palm of your hand- give them "attention, bonding and communication" as well as time to play, create, dream and explore and you will have a far smarter child than any who are plugged into "educational" products. Dr. Stamm gives scientific reasons that back up what all of us who work with children know..that children learn best by listening to words coming from loving adults, either through talking or reading, by playing and by touching. The children in our country are literally dying to communicate with people who are not on cell phones, using computers or staring at a screen-and their brains are not growing to their potential nor their attention spans when they are presented with one passive entertainment after another. Read this book and be inspired.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It doesn't take a village...just some good advice - it's here!, August 10, 2007

By	Greymase "Greymase" (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews

I have a son who is 7, and upon his birth (maybe before) we bought videos and music CDs and even mobiles that hung over his crib when he was but a wee cus...mostly, they scared him. My wife and I bought them ALL because we were rudderless and scared we would not provide him with what he needed to develop wihtout detriments arising from our inexperience and ignorance.

We were fortunate enough to have met Jill Stamm and heard one of her presentations (she is not new to this game) when our son was still quite young, and were comforted to have Jill's caring, expert advice. This book contains that same wonderful and comforting, easy to implement counsel, as well as the inspiring story of Jill's own experience as a mother of two wonderful daughters, each with different challenges and strengths. In all cases, her approach of nurturing neurological development instead of frantically pushing to craft an infant Einstein (turns out he had the unfair advantage of extra gleal cells) is refreshing, reassuring and CLEAR.

THIS IS THE RIGHT BOOK FOR PARENTS (AND EXPECTING PARENTS) WHO WANT USEFUL INFORMATION WITHOUT FRIGHTENING HYPE (OR MOBILES)! A GOOD READ.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Quintessential Parent's Instruction Manual, August 10, 2007

By	AhwatukeeMom (Phoenix, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

We're always told that "there is no instruction manual for being a parent." However, now there is one! This book is a must-have, must-read, must-do and will make any parent feel capable of doing the right things to help their child reach his or her highest potential. I only wish I had this book when my daughter was young. The message of this book gives us reassurance that we have the ability to have influence and effect when it comes to raising our children, and the concrete suggestions give us the means. Don't wait another day to order this terrific book!