As John Medina’s editor, I worked closely with him to shape Brain Rules and then Brain Rules for Baby. It’s been a thrill to watch both books climb onto the bestseller lists while getting rave reviews from you. I’m grateful for the books on a personal level as well. I imagine you feel the same way.
Brain Rules for Baby is the one book I asked my husband to read before our baby was born. (I even considered threatening that we couldn’t have a baby until he read it.)
Then our baby arrived.
I wanted to revisit some of the things I’d learned, but suddenly I had no time for long books. And while I understood why doing this or that was beneficial for baby’s brain, I still had questions about how. (Speak 2,100 words an hour to your baby? Seriously? How?) I dug back into the original research. Thus, my new book, Zero to Five, was born. I’d love to tell you about it.
Zero to Five has exhausted new parents in mind
- how to give baby’s brain a boost—including specific language you can use or actions you can take.
- bite-sized information in a clean design. Flip the book open to any page and you’ll get something out of it.
- spiral-bound, so it stays open. You can read while holding baby, or keep your place when you get interrupted two minutes later.
- anecdotes from my first two years with baby, just to liven things up (I made it—phew!)
- beautiful photographs of real families. These make Zero to Five a truly special book.
I’m excited to share this book with my fellow Brain Rules fans. It’s due June 17.
Want a sneak peak of the book, free? Click the yellow button at www.zerotofive.net.
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.
Congratulations on your new book which I look forward to reading.
Even though my one & only child who is now 17 and will be a high school senior next year (yikes! when did that happen?). I TOTALLY & COMPLETELY identify with your story as written here. I got pregnant late in life (was almost 40) & I was reading everything I could get my hands on; interviewing every woman I knew trying to get as much information as I could about what was going to happen to my life once our baby was born. No One, not even my mom or my sisters or sister-in-law or best friend told me the absolute truth.
I remember during those first 3 months of my daughter’s life when she had colic every night and my husband & I took turns sleeping; how lost I felt. I felt isolated and let down by everyone that knew what was in store for us. In retrospect I think everyone believes that there’s no escaping the hard parts of parenthood & so why talk about that part to soon-to-be new parents? I, like you, though totally went for honesty whenever a conversation ensued. I believe wholeheartedly that the nitty-grittiness of the hard parts can be discussed with humor; with some encouraging words that it won’t last forever — followed up with focusing on the fact that along with the hard parts, there’s a lot of good parts. Every age of childhood has aspects that as a parent, I wish I could bypass — but in my 17-year journey with my daughter; some amazing things have surfaced. I’ve learned that just because I’m the mom doesn’t mean I’m the teacher all the time — I’ve learned some valuable things about myself that I don’t think could have been taught to me by anyone else. I’ve learned that this kind of love is deep and abiding and amazing and different from romantic love. I’ve learned that despite my beliefs, my inclinations, my traits and my interests — my child is her own person and she’s come into this world to share her uniqueness in her way.
I was told by all of the “experts” that I’d never have a baby and 17 years later I still have a profound thankfulness that my body defied that prediction. It is a hard journey at times, yes, but every step of the way is a gift.
Enjoy those steps even the ones that feel too high to take. I send you nothing but wisdom and joy on your parenting journey…
Thank you for your heartfelt comments, Eva. I completely agree that we can discuss the tough stuff with a bit of humor. Heck, without humor, we couldn’t get through it ourselves!