I read this book while I was pregnant with my daughter. I reread it later. It is a cogent work that helps us to understand the brain. I think my daughter has benefited tremendously! A must read for any expectant parent or anyone with young children.

Neither my daughter or I have made much progress reading it. It's not really written for a lay person.

This is a fascinating account of how the brain develops in early life, and how this maps to changing behavior. "What's Going On in There?" is written for a lay audience and is very accessible.

I only have two grievances with this book. The first is that although it is written in a very readable narrative format, I wish she put a reference section at the end with diagrams, timelines, references, etc to summarize the narrative - because you probably won't memorize all of the fascinating detail on first read, but then it is difficult to locate specific information later on when you are trying to remember something. The other grievance is that she makes many assertions without citing references - a pet peeve of mine, but this is not something that is likely to bother most readers. But again, this is a good book, and it is the only one I know about this fascinating topic.

I was disappointed. It's all about the scientific aspect of the brain (developing in the womb, how it compares to animals brains, how it develops in childhool). There's only 1 chapter at the very end on what you can do as a parent to help positively affect the growth and development of your child's brain. Skip this one!

I found this book really insightful and full of great practical infomation that helps me understand my baby girl.

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.

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!

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.

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.

This excellent book filled a palpable void in my parenting books by (finally!) answering so many of my questions about my baby's development. Dozens of other books on my shelf told me what to avoid during pregnancy, for example, but none explained why. The author brought the best research along with her own (and others') personal experiences to create a fabulous book about babies' cognitive development. It's wonderful!

"How the brain and mind develop in the first five years of life"--that is why I bought this book, and I want my money back. If you are pregnant or the parent of an infant then I'm sure you will find this book very informative and useful. However, my son is three years old and this book is useless to me. It's mostly about the brains of infants, and that's it. I'm pretty angry that I bought it thinking it was about the FIRST FIVE YEARS but really it's more like the first 18 months.

I recommend "Einstein Never Used Flashcards".

I wished I had read this book before I got pregnant, but reading it when my daughter was a couple of months old was nevertheless very helpful. If you're looking at a great book to help you understand how babies develop, and what happens at each stage, this is it. Not only does it help me understand what my baby goes through and know what to expect, but it also makes for fascinating reading through all the examples and experiments the author talks about. I'm buying it or recommending it to every friend I have who is expecting a baby. If you'll read one book about child development, this is the one to read.

Easy to read and incredibly informative. I feel more comfortable and confident as a parent-to-be after reading this book than all of my other parenting/pregnancy books combined. Highly recommended.

If there ever were a textbook on your baby-preschooler's formative years, this is it. Lise Eliot's book is a fascinating walk through all the major areas of development, and it's dense, informative, and chock-full of biology for inquistive parents or parents-to-be. Although such a hefty book may seem daunting, I highly, highly recommend it; it's definitely worth reading. You will reach the end with a very broad yet detailed understanding of what's happening to your child, and you will feel amazed at how such a little being can achieve so much in a few short years.

I think every parent-to-be should have this book!

Very thorough and easy to read. This book could be used together by both pediatric psychologists and parents. Excellent find!

I have picked up this book on and off for the last few years becuase it is soo fascinating. It isn't based on the latest pop-psychology like so many books out there, rather it looks at the development of the brain through scans, experiments, etc. and bases its conclusions on that analysis. It looks at all the developmental aspects of a baby's growth & maturation which I find priceless when you are in the baby making years. We all knew that cuddling and cooing with our babies was important since that's what our instincts tell us to do, but now we have scientific data that explains how and why this is sooo very important to the development of our cheribs. I whole hearted recommend this to one and all caregivers, especially if you think your kid will just grow up and 'get it' without much of your direction. Excellent Read!

My husband and I read this book while I was pregnant and we found it fascinating. It's true that this book is heavy on the science, but Elliot makes it not only understandable, but interesting. I learned a great deal reading this and would recommend it for any parent with an intellectual interest in fetal and infant development.

Reading 'What to expect when you are expecting' is fine, but if you have time/money/energy for only one book, this is the book.
This book drives home the importance of touch and breastfeeding. Yes, I am biased towards attachment parenting based on my intuition, but this book has excellent research behind it to prove it to skeptics.

The last chapter 'the perfect parent' is excellent and the finishing paragraph is a pinch back to the present for parents who are just obsessed with making super babies than simply loving and cuddling them and enjoying them for what they are.

I bought this book because a number of reviewers compared it favorably to The Scientist in the Crib. Having read both of them, I would say they play to different strengths. What's Going On In There? offers a wealth of information about the development of the infant brain, which The Scientist in the Crib skips almost entirely. While both are aimed at a popular audience, however, What's Going On In There? assumes a considerably higher level of reader commitment to understanding the material - it is, frankly, a harder book; the level of brain-strain required is more like reading a cover article in Scientific American as compared to watching an episode of NOVA. If you really are interested in the development of your child's brain, buy this one. If you just want a fun look at what your baby knows and when she knows it, buy The Scientist in the Crib instead.

One caveat for nervous mothers-to-be: Eliot devotes significant space in nearly every chapter to brain pathologies - i.e., What Might Go Wrong - without much effort to reassure the reader about how rare these abnormalities are. If you are a worrying type, you may want to skip this book until after your beautiful, healthy baby arrives!

The author makes this topic interesting, informative and fun - all in one.

Having read three other "baby/parenting" books, this is the only book that covers critical development and learning at these depths and keeps it on a practical/useful level. All stages - what you do - how you do it & why - before and after birth.

It influences the types of things we'll buy what we won't buy and the things we'll try doing.

Do yourself and baby a favor and read it the minute you know you are pregnant. I can't recommend it enough.

This book arrived in good time and in the condition I expected. As an Infant Massage Instructor this is a readable, informative, helpful book for my library.

Written by a serious neuroscientist, what's said in the book is trustworthy and worth reading by all parents!

It's an ok book but not what I thought it would be. Not too excited about it.

I've got to say I LOVE this book! I am a postpartum doula and I'm always looking for information to share with the moms I see. This has it all. Now I not only can show them the Babinski reflex, but explain how the brain has changed when the reflex changes. There's so much in here I'm sharing with moms. Just can't say enough about this book.

I wanted to read about how my baby's brain changes over his first months and years of development, so I bought this book after reading the reviews.
This book is very thorough and I admit I skipped over a lot of the detail on exactly how everything in your brain works, but the case studies and development timeline were wonderful. This book answered all my questions on when babies learn certain things and how important learning is during their first years.

I purchased many other books on baby brain development, but this book is the only one you need.

This book details the neurologic development of a baby, from fetal to early years. It is written by a mom in lay language that an educated person will easily understand yet gives depth that a professional will appreciate.

This author is obviously very knowledgeable and the subject matter is extremely interesting. I learned a lot about my baby's brain development and even why he behaves as he does sometimes (for example, why no separation anxiety when they are young, but then LOTS of separation anxiety when they are older - It is all biology!). Fascinating.

BUT . . be warned that this is a very scientifically written book, almost like a medical textbook. Unless you are in the medical profession, you should read with a medical dictionary beside you. I missed a LOT of information because I do not have a science background.

I wonder why the author did not include a Glossary at the back? It would have been very helpful.

I found this book easy to read and comprehend. It was extremly helpful as a mother of a 29 week premmie who is now a year old and having some developemental delays from arriving a whole trimester early. It gave hope and encouragement as well as info on how to help foster developement in avenues I had not realized. The book even has numerous references about premmies.

I have a hard time sitting down and reading a nonfiction book front to back. But this book is great, my mind skims across some of the really scientific parts, but 90% I read deeply to absorb all the great information. I am 1/2 way through in only 2 weeks, and that is impressive with a 5month old around(: I love this book, and I feel more empowered about my child rearing decisions.

For some reason, I thought this book would be more about what my baby is thinking. Instead it is very much about biology. Every chapter starts with a discussion of when a certain part of your baby's brain began developing including regions, names, and discussions about when and how fast the nuerons in that area mylenate. This leads to discussions about what your baby's brain can and cannot do and when that changes. You can extrapolate from this information to get an idea of "Whats going on in there?", but it isn't really what the book is about. For example, the book discusses that your baby can smell right at birth (maybe before) and that the scent of the mother and milk and so on play a roll in bonding. Then, it talks about the tests that were done to show that this is true. It never says whether or not your baby would enjoy more smells, or maybe which smells, or even if it matters whether or not there are any smells. For me, I wanted that kind of information, not so much biology. For example, if her room seems a bit stuffy to me, will is seem that way to her? Should I delay her nap time by 5 minutes to maybe open the windows and air it out, or could she care less? This book does not answer those kinds of questions.

However, as a baby brain biology book, I have no doubt that this is probably the tops on that score. It is interesting to know how your baby's senses develop and what her brain is and isn't capable of at a certain age. So if you want a book about that, this book is great, it is easily readable, and very accessable (the brain has complicated names for its parts, but there is nothing the author can do about that). If you are looking for a book that lets you in on what might be going on in that little head of hers...well, I haven't found that book yet.

The two reviews below have great information about the book so I will just give my opinion.

This book was great! The author is funny and smart all at once. Some of the information is a bit technical but she explains it really well. I love how she starts each chapter with a funny little story, like using a paper box for a make-shift bassinet.

One reviewer gave it a 1 and said this book is more for students than parents. I couldn't agree less! I love knowing how my baby's brain developed and why she does certain things.

This book is definitely going in my permanent library!

I am about 20% through this book but now the details are getting boring; I'm also closer to my due date and sitting is not as comfortable as it was 2 weeks ago. It is easy to read and follow; I'm sure after a week off I'll get back to reading - it's just so interesting how quickly development happens and the effect it has on the baby at birth.

An absolutely fascinating read; I wish I'd have read this whilst pregnant. Dispels some current popular thinking on improving child development and contains invaluable insights into your baby's brain. A little technical but interesting to those who have never studied brain anatomy. A fabulous read.

What an incredible book! It has given me such an insight into how and why my toddler has done the things he has, is doing the things he is doing now and what he will do later. It has opened my eyes to how to help my son in the next few years. Thank you for such an amazing book! I know I am a better parent for having read it and that I will give my son a better chance in life.

It was a great read the only problem was that the binding disintegrated on me as I progressed. I managed to read it once, but I had to discard it in small and large chunks along the way. That's a shame because a second reading would be rewarding. Perhaps a hardcover ed. would fair better.

A really nice book that would help you with your children, your owns or others (if you work in care center or anything like it).

Sometimes you imagine a movie or a book that is a perfect convergence of your interests at the time. This book provides that for me in bringing together readings on the developments in neuroscience and the neurobiology of brain development with early child development. After reading "In Search of Memory" by Eric Kandel and becoming fascinated with how we understand the brain, I was searching for a book that brought that knowledge and research to prenatal and early child brain development. Who doesn't want to know how to stimulate their child in the way the brains need and give them the best chance for realizing their potential. Lise Eliot takes exactly this approach by outlining how a childs brain develops and what good things we can do to aid and understand that development. Highly recommend for new parents or for those curious about brain development.

I love this book! It was very easy to read but still very informative and does not talk down to the reader. It gives a lot of information, such as how the labor process affects the baby. It gives reasons why natural childbirth are good for the baby, but also looks at when it is probably best to use meds (as far as the baby's health and safety are concerned).

Better than I expected. My son is 3 and I feel it will still help him. Glad I bought it.

Was hoping for better information about brain formation, this book didn't get as technical as I thought. There was some interesting statistics on when to have the second and third child so they'll be smart.

This book is especially good for readers with rudimentary knowledge about neurobiology. However, it is also good for the absolute layman if one can 'read' pass the jargon.

One of the most interesting parenting books that i've read: it's based on scientific research rather than arbitrary advice. It helped me understand *why* kids (and people) do what they do, and thus enabled me to better handle undesired behavior. Highly recommend - must read for any parent!

I LOVED this book. Her writing style reminded me of my favorite professor in college: to the point, intellectual, but interesting and not at all pedantic. As a grad student in psychology and a new mother (I am Kenneth Friend's wife, not Kenneth Friend, btw), this book was a perfect fit for me. Those who study psychology professionally will enjoy this book for its detail. Those who are beginners in learning about psychology will find it interesting because of its writing style. Eliot does review the basics which I found to be a helpful review, but she doesn't spend too much time on them (and I skipped some of the parts that I already knew).

She focuses more on pre and postnatal influences on the brain. While the cover suggests it covers up to age five, I found little material that talked about the brain above the first year. This did not bother me, but it may bother the parent of a preschooler who wants to learn how to parent their four year old. I liked that she covered multiple sides of issues (ie, nature/nurture debate, and any other debate I ran into), provided an explanation of the significance or lack thereof to certain milestones (ie, whether it makes a difference in the future whether a child is walking at 8 months vs. 12), etc. Even after 2 child dev classes, 1 adolescent dev class, and 1 adult dev class, I learned a LOT from this book, and apply the info learned in it to my own daughter. Before I read this book, my daughter was right on track developmentally--not ahead, not behind. Now she is in the top 25%. (Which means little, as you will find in the book, but it still gives you an idea of what you can do with this knowledge.)

A MUST read for all new parents, daycare workers, and psych students interested in child psychology/neuro.

This text is presented as an introduction to brain development without speaking down to those unfamiliar with state-of-the-art neurological/molecular vocabulary and research. The writing style is engaging and the presentation style motivates each successive topic in a compelling manner. It is both a page-turner and an excellent reference, and my copy has been rebound and has important passages marked. Specifically interesting to me, as a pregnant mother, are neurochemical sensitivities during fetal development, and language development after birth. It makes for excellent reading for expecting parents who have any curiosity in science at all. Indeed, my friends with engineering and science backgrounds have been enthusiastically passing it around. My sister took my recommendation, and is using it as an undergraduate textbook in molecular neurobiology at Carnegie Mellon U.

The old debate regarding nature vs. nurture when it comes to learning ability and all kinds of human traits has essentially ended. Both contribute. It's true that any child's (or adult's) cognitive abilities can be directly enhanced with the right kind of environmental stimulus/experiences. Dr. Eliot's book offers a very thorough overview of how the process of neuron development and "pruning" works and offers parents insight into how they might help optimize their own child's potential. A fascinating read.. Great reference for parents and professionals who deal with kids.

This book is fascinating. It's an incredibly readable, well-written wealth of information on how the human brain develops. I just wish the author would have conveyed the information without citing the details of the studies on which she bases her information.

I'm no animal rights fanatic, but the stories of the experiments done on animals (often cats and dogs) were very disturbing. For example, in the chapter on vision she talks about a staggeringly cruel experiment done on kittens. I'll spare you the details, but it ruined my day to read about it. Yet the author nonchalantly mentions this sort of thing left and right.

Bottom line: You can learn a ton from this information-packed book. But if you're an animal lover who doesn't like to hear about the details of what happens to lab animals, this is not the book for you.

What a great book! One of the best books on babies out there. The author not only presents tremendous amounts of very valuable and comprehensive information, she supports every one of them them with research data. The author describes babies' development from a scientific point of view,which is written in a way that a person with very limited science background can comprehend very well. Then she describes how it translates to the babies development as we experience it, for instance, in the baby's learning, reacting, hearing, seeing etc. Then she uses this information to recommend how to enhance the development of the baby. I find this book very comprehensive and very helpful in understanding what to do in every stage of the baby's life from conception up to a certain age, to create a healthy and intelligent person.

This book contains an impressive amount of information, but I cannot get around to sitting down and really reading it. I keep feeling like a student studying for a biology test. The writing style is really really dry! I wish that this very valuable information was put in a way that a busy mom can read! Also, I felt like the title is misleading. It talks a lot about prenatal and first year development, and much less from 1 year up to 5 years. If you are looking for regular development milestone information, this book is not it.

I bought this book when my son was 18 months old, figuring I could still get about 3 more years of info out of it. Instead I found myself wondering and even worrying whether I did the "best" thing back while I was pregnant and during his first year of life, as the "perfect parent" would. While interesting and informative, this is not a reference book you can easily look up, by age, what's going on in there for the first five years of life. The majority of the book deals with baby development, with very little info beyond the first year. For me the title was very misleading.

What a fantastic book for new parents! It answers so many of those questions you are constantly wondering and even some you haven't come up with, yet! Very well researched and written! I only wish I had it when I was pregnant, too.
It took me a while to read it since I have a new baby and am busy with all of his developing parts, but that also kept me motivated to keep reading. I have given it as a gift to curious friends who have yet to give birth.
The only complaint I have is that my binding fell apart on my book and I had to take it back to the store. However, Bantam Books will replace it for you if you have the same problem I did.