Reddit reviews Brain Rules for Baby: How to Raise a Smart and Happy Child from Zero to Five

One I liked was Brain Rules for Baby: How to Raise a Smart and Happy Child from Zero to Five by John Medina. He makes a point of using information that is supported by multiple studies.

There's also Bright From The Start and The Science of Parenting, both of which had helpful scientific information.

Brain rules for baby. Available on audio book.

It's a very academic heavily-sourced, book on parenting techniques, generally advocating authoritative parenting.

As far as schools, visit a few, look at the grounds, and talk to the teachers. Much of what they'll be learning at age three will be social, and whether it be Waldorf or Montessori, they'll mostly be playing with legos and in sand boxes at this age.

Structured play is great. Pretend time is great. If you can set up some cardboard boxes, and let him play pirate, that's pretty good for him.

There's plenty of debate on whether stay-at-home parenting is superior to day-care/pre-school, but suffice to say that it depends on the kid and both are totally viable options depending on your circumstance.

It's not serious to not be fully-potty trained yet, but you should probably get on that, especially considering it limits your preschool options a lot.

There are things called "swim diapers"

use sunscreen, but not spray on

Use shoes in dangerous environments but barefoot is okay on grass and dirt.

A three year old can climb up a play structure just fine all by himself.

Good Luck! :)

I'm having a good time with Happiest Baby on the Block (though I think it's really slow and repetitive, and their "conclusions" (it isn't this, this, or this, so it MUST be this) are a bit, uh, presumptuous; I think the book is spot on for how to treat the baby, especially in the "4th trimester") and The Nursing Mother's Companion. And these aren't baby books, but my husband and I are also reading Ina May's Guide to Childbirth and The Birth Partner to prep for labor.

I have a few more books on my shelf to reference just in case, like Sears' The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby from Birth to Age Two (but I am wary of anti-vacc notions of the book), Brain Rules for Baby, and for fun, Experimenting with Babies.

I have been listening the the audio book version of "Brain Rules for Baby" on my commute to and from work.

http://www.amazon.com/Brain-Rules-Baby-Raise-Smart/dp/0983263302

I gives a lot of good information regarding baby's brain development from stuff you and your wife can do while pregnant through the early years of development.

Our stack of books is about a foot high and growing, and my favorite book so far has been Brain Rules for Baby, a book with a lot of great guidance backed up not just by anecdotes but also sound science. As a counter to our instincts to be over-protective, the other book my wife and I have both really enjoyed is 50 Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Children Do.

The book I didn't like (despise is too strong, it was just too simplistic) was What to Expect.

I loved Mayo Clinic Guide to Pregnancy. It felt in depth and comprehensive while still being practical.

Another two books I've loved have been "Brain Rules for Baby" and "What's Going On in There". Brain Rules is written for more of a layman's audience while the second is very very technical if you're not familiar with neurology, though the author does a good job of explaining things. They both touch on pregnancy and how different things affect the developing brain and why something is good or bad. It also talks about what you can do now, while pregnant, to give your child the best chance you can and all backed up with peer reviewed research. I loved them!

Take a few parenting classes with your wife! You'll bond and you'll know what to expect.

There's also this book called Brain Rules for Babies about the do's and don'ts of raising your child to be well-adjusted kiddo. Easy read, basic stuff, but it backs stuff up with science. so. that's always good.