Baby Monthly

This book is directed at parents, grandparents, child minders - anyone in fact who has asked "What is going on behind those eyes?" It aims to be an enlightening month-by-month examination of the developing mind and behaviour of the baby during his or her first year of life. Ingenious research techniques, which for too long have been hidden away in academic journals, are at last explained in an accessible way. Freelance journalist, psychologist and parent, Carol Pope, examines the results of numerous experiments which have revealed some amazing facts about babies: they can learn while still in the womb; they can imitate other people's faces at birth; they are able to count at five months; the foundations of their future relationships have already been established by the time they are nine months old; and the first hints of their IQ can be detected well before their first birthday. Find out how scientists have proved that babies tend to turn their heads more often to the right, and that girls smile twice as much as boys in their first few weeks. The book also includes practical sessions with simple exercises designed to give parents some insight into their own baby's development.
If there is one certainty that emerges from recent research it is that the way in which parents respond to their babies is critical in moulding their development, and that time is probably the greatest gift you can give your baby. For it is out of those moments spent gazing into each others eyes, smiling and cooing, cuddling and babytalking, laughing and sharing your baby's interest in everything from fluffy ducks to picture books that the foundations for the future are laid. "Baby Monthly" may help parents to make their own informed decisions on how to bring up their children, decisions based not on tradition or trend but on close observation of babies' behaviour and factual evidence.