Rating: 
Summary: Reading Your Baby's Actions
Review: As with all books you read, half of what you read you may or may not agree. However I read this book when I was pregnant in '97 and had my baby in '98. My little guy was a pleasure because I was able to read and interpret his actions such as knowing when he is receptive to learning and when he needs quiet time to just be himself. It also taught how to respond so that he calmed down because I reacted so calmly to his crying or cooing. I definitely will reread for my second pregnancy.
Rating:
Summary: Reading Your Baby's Actions
Review: As with all books you read, half of what you read you may or may not agree. However I read this book when I was pregnant in '97 and had my baby in '98. My little guy was a pleasure because I was able to read and interpret his actions such as knowing when he is receptive to learning and when he needs quiet time to just be himself. It also taught how to respond so that he calmed down because I reacted so calmly to his crying or cooing. I definitely will reread for my second pregnancy.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Book - Where to buy the toys?
Review: Hi, I have made a few toys for our baby based on the recommendations, but would also like to buy the professionally made toys. Since this book is kinda old, I am not sure if the company still exists at the location, and what are the charges for the toys. Was anyone successful in buying these toys? Where are they available?
Rating: 
Summary: Great ideas, but needs updating, 1987=old info.
Review: I first bought this book (1985 version) at a flea market for 50 cents. I was extremly happy with the first half of the book so I decided to purchase the new version. The store that I bought from had it in a sealed package with a cute baby toy. I suspect part of the reason for the tightly sealed book is that it would be hard to sell a book in this field that is over 12 years old. New discoveries are made every day. Would you buy a book written 12 years ago on computers? The book contains a lot of useful information about helping to develop the mind of your child. The basic premise of the book (well directed involment with your child will offer great stimulation) still has value, but I want to buy one that contains theories back-uped with more research. Half of my friends say that it is "hog-wash." I won't know for at least several years (maybe never) if the ideas work, but it is worth a try. Nothing in the book is harmful. The only question one could have is can an infant comprehend/gain anything from this stimulation? I am sure that a child will learn from the suggestions in the book and therefore increase his mental ability. I would rather heed the advice of this book and discover in 20 years that I was wrong and wasted some of my time than to find out that the book was right and I didn't do all that was possible for my child.
Rating:
Summary: Very helpful in understanding my babies potential
Review: I love this book. It has age apropriate games to play w/ your baby from birth to 6 months. I especially like the information it gives on the fetus and it's capabilities. It is awesome information. I read this book while I was pregnant in 98. It really opened my eyes on the magnificents of it all. My baby is seven months old now and I believe she is advanced because of the infant stimulation in this book, thank you!
Rating:
Summary: Proof of the methods recommended
Review: I read HOW TO HAVE A SMARTER BABY in 1985, the year my daughter was born. Did everything the book recommended, from pre-natal music to development of all of the infant's primary senses. Everything came easily to this daughter -- who is now High Honors in high school, and by class ranking, one of the smartest children in her high school class. She learned the alphabet by the time she was 2, could read by the time she was 4, has always had a spectacular memory and is headed towards an ivy league college. In large part, I am sure, HOW TO HAVE A SMARTER BABY played a role in her scholastic success.
Rating:
Summary: Proof of the methods recommended
Review: I read HOW TO HAVE A SMARTER BABY in 1985, the year my daughter was born. Did everything the book recommended, from pre-natal music to development of all of the infant's primary senses. Everything came easily to this daughter -- who is now High Honors in high school, and by class ranking, one of the smartest children in her high school class. She learned the alphabet by the time she was 2, could read by the time she was 4, has always had a spectacular memory and is headed towards an ivy league college. In large part, I am sure, HOW TO HAVE A SMARTER BABY played a role in her scholastic success.
Rating:
Summary: Info is timeless, not dated-- Good for new parents
Review: I think this is a good book for new parents who want to learn more about how to interact with their new baby. As a first-time mom, I appreciated reviewing the activities in the book and using them as opportunities to spend quality/learning time with my baby. I only skimmed the text of the book to get to the activities the first time I read it; reading the actual text of the book only increases its value, as there are lots of good tips on how to make your baby comfortable from birth on-- Acclimating him to his new home, being aware of his needs, etc.My baby loves the mobiles and stimulating images that I made for him from the book-- Made with paper plates, copy paper, black and red pens, they're simple, inexpensive, and effective. There are a couple exercises out of the dozens in the book that refer to stimulating baby's sense of smell with perfume-- But that shouldn't condemn the book as a whole. Any parent who objects to subjecting his/her baby to perfume doesn't need to do the exercise. There are other smell games that involve smelling an orange, various spices, your dinner-- Clearly less ostensibly harmful than smelling perfume. The activities are "mix and match" so you don't have to have your baby smell perfume. The book is so inexpensive, yet filled with good information. It doesn't matter that the book is old-- The information in it is really timeless. This can't be compared to the "Baby Plus" system, which from what I've read, doesn't really factor in the value of a parent spending quality, interactive time with her child. This book is about helping your baby experience the world, not snap more synapses. If you want to learn about how you can spend more quality time with your baby and help him learn new things by experiencing things around him, get this book. Just because the book was written in the 1980s doesn't mean the information is outdated. Are the laws of gravity outdated? I did give it 4, not 5 stars because some of the information on resources/ purchasing toys is outdated (the oft-mentioned "Cookie Monster Crawl-Along" infant skateboard does not exist), but this is a minor flaw compared to the other values stored up in this book.
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Summary: Neat activities...but boy is it an old book!
Review: I was so excited when I saw this book! I bought it and read it and enjoyed most of the activities. However, I have to agree with a previous reviewer that the book was published in the 70's...and I'd really like to see this book updated. After all...so much time has passed...I'm sure some of the activities could be updated and changed. What worries me about this book is the nutrition section. They recommend having a protein shake every day for the baby's brain development. The shake recipe calls for a raw egg. Now, correct me if I'm wrong...but raw eggs are considered a no-no if you are pregnant. And they recommend that you have this shake EVERY DAY! I think this information is dangerous and puts the woman who follows that information at risk for foodborne illness. So, if you plan to buy this book...PLEASE take what you read with a grain of salt. Use your common sense and consult your doctor (especially about the egg thing!)
Rating: 
Summary: Extremely Dangerous Nutritional Advice
Review: In general, I enjoy reading the book although I find some of the tips were dated and extremely dangerous. For example, the Berman's Protein Shake contains a raw egg that can be dangerous to the baby since it may contain salmonella bacteria. Since we all know that all babies are extremely sensitive to fragrance--a petrochemical additive, and other additives are processed foods, I don't believe it is a good idea to put perfume on the baby toy. Read this book with caution!!!
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