What's Going on in There? : How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life

"I found this book really insightful and full of great practical infomation that helps me understand my baby girl."
~ Written on 2008-09-05

"I got this book based on the title where it states, "how the mind develops in the first five years of life." I have a 9 mos old and a two and a half year old so I thought that I could get some valuable info, since they are both still pretty young. This book is only 460 pages long, and Dr. Eliot doesn't even really start talking about children over a year of age until about page 300 (and I'm being generous to start that far back.) This book, while interesting, mostly discusses brain development from conception (especially conception through infancy) through the first two years years. Naturally, our brain continues to develop after two years, and she mentions the years 3-5 here and there but it's usually in reference to statistics supporting her facts on the subjects she talks about pertaining to brain growth during infancy (thus she's "justified" in adding the "birth through five years" on her cover.) I still felt like the title was misleading though. I spent the first 300 pages reflecting back on my pregnancies and all the things I did "wrong." The first 300 pages kinda made me feel guilty.
Now that doesn't mean that I didn't like the book itself. This is a great book. It's different than all the other "child rearing" books on the market because it's not all psychology. Most of this book is biology. So I will say that if you like science, you'll enjoy this book. Even though it is on the scientific side, I think that it was written (as well as it could be) in layman's terms. I wouldn't go as far to say that it's like college textbook material, but it does use jargon that you probably haven't heard since you've been in school. I also liked the way the book was written. You can tell that she tried to write a "science" book to appeal to everyone (whether science is your thing or not). When I read it, I felt like I was having a discussion with a Mom who has a biology degree instead of listening to a boring science professor. Overall, I think that if you don't have any distractions around you, this book is easier to follow. I just wished I had read it earlier, is all. "
~ Written on 2008-08-07

"I love this book. The information is the most useful. My baby is 6 month old and I really appreciate the teaching from this book. I skip on the sections that describe the mechanism in the brain and devour the sections that describe the developmental milestones. Highly recommended!"
~ Written on 2008-06-23

"I found this book to be a great introduction to how a child's mind develops. As an expecting father, it was really interesting to know how the senses play a large role in developing the intelligence of a child and that the best way to develop a healthy mind is to provide a child with lots of stimulation at the proper time. The chapters toward the end of the book were particularly interesting as they covered the development of intelligence, language, and memory. I highly recommend that all expecting parents read this book. One caution though, the author takes a scientific approach, so if you're not prepared to read a book that approaches the developing mind from a scientific perspective, you might want to try other lighter books. However, if you are prepared for it, you'll be glad that you read this book. "
~ Written on 2008-06-10

"I recieved this book when by son was 3mo old. I agree that it is best for pregnant women or when your child is very young. There is lots of details about brain development, I am a nurse and have a science background, and it was even too much for me. I would skim the beginning of each chapter, through the details on ganglia and neuron growth to get to the applicable stuff. It's also not a reference type of book, you can't go to a chapter for your age child. Each chapter has a topic...hearing, smell, touch, language, intelligence, etc. It is interesting, I learned a lot, but if you are not a reader (its 460 pages), or you want something very hands on practical, this is not for you. "
~ Written on 2008-05-14