The latest issue of Seattle’s Child magazine includes a Q & A with me, along with excerpts of a few tips from Zero to Five. Here’s a bit of the book’s back story:

Why did you decide to write Zero to Five?

I wrote Zero to Five for several reasons. I wished I’d had a book like this when I first had my baby, and I thought other new parents might appreciate it, too. I was the editor of Brain Rules for Baby, which is a great book for understanding what boosts brain development, and I’m so grateful for that experience. But then when I had a baby, I was like, “Wait, how exactly do I do this stuff?”

My publisher had been joking about this book since I got pregnant: “Hey, the editor of Brain Rules for Baby now has to apply the book in her own life – great story!” Over time, it became clear that he wasn’t joking. Believe me, no one with a 6-month-old baby thinks, “You know what? I should write a parenting book.” But eventually I got excited about creating something really useful for new parents. It turned out to be an advantage that I was going through this stuff as I was writing the book, from 6 months to 2 years. If I were looking back now, trying to remember, the personal stories wouldn’t have been as real.

More Qs, more As, and a few tips: http://www.seattleschild.com/article/tracy-cutchlow-zero-to-five

Written by

Tracy Cutchlow

Tracy is the author of the international bestseller Zero to Five: 70 Essential Parenting Tips Based on Science, a public speaker, and a creator of places to speak and be heard. Sign up for her newsletter here.