Brain Rules for Baby (Updated and Expanded)

I should probably review this again in about 12-18 months, when I'll have actual experience and will be able to confidently exclaim “NO THIS BOOK IS FULL OF LIES AND FALSE PROMISE”.

But for now, I am here for this evidence-based, pretty-rigorous-seeming promise. The book covers a few major themes: pregnancy, your relationship post-kid(s), smart kids, happy kids, moral kids, and ASLEEP KIDS. Medina is a neurologist particularly interested in baby brains? I forget what his exact background is. But anyway, he's an academic (at the Univ of Washington?) and seems well-versed in statistical stuff and interpreting research results. My only “correlation is not causation!!!” exclamation was when he strongly endorsed breastfeeding as a means of pumping babies full of IQ points. (Which came on the tail end of a section describing why the IQ test is, in and of itself, kind of a garbage measure.)

Anyway, Medina's basic TLDR seems to be: have empathy (for yourself, for your partner, for your kid, and teach your kid to have it too) and spend time (with faces and talking, not with screens or useless Baby Capitalism gear). I enjoyed his tone (which was casual, a little jokey, and sciencey instead of mystical (other baby books I've looked at get waaaay mystical way fast)). I was reassured that he cited studies I've long admired, like the Grant Study (this 2009 Atlantic article describes it and, okay, made me cry) or Carol Dweck's research. I felt vindicated that the CIO (“cry it out”) method of getting your kid to sleep had some research behind it, but I also appreciated that he was like “or just go super Dr. Sears and cuddle them forever, that's fine too, whatever”. I was a little huffy about the “smart baby” section, because I feel like an ambitious emphasis on “intelligence” is sorta a recipe for a Nietszchean abyss of sadness and pride (there are more important things in life?) and because I'm sorta horrified by people who parent academic achievement starting at age 2. Then again, what do I know. I work in a “knowledge industry” and have benefited greatly from parents who emphasized schooling as the One True Way. So we'll see. Anyway, TLDR for baking a smart baby was (a) eat fish when you're preg (between IQ-lowering mercury and IQ-raising DHA, the DHA wins), (b) do face time with yo baby, (c) talk a lot (no problem for me ho ho), (d) don't bother with Mozart, (e) imaginative play! HALLO MONTESSORI Italians winning.

The book is v readable and organized in a very friendly way, which I also appreciated.

Recommended? Maybe? Talk to me in 2 years.