Dr. Jenn Mann
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2010 Dr. Jenn Mann
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (including electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission from the publisher.
The material in this book is intended for education. No expressed or implied guarantee as to the effects of the use of the recommendations can be given, nor liability taken. Any advice provided is not meant to take the place of treatment by a qualified medical practitioner or therapist. Since every child is different, you should consult your childs pediatrician on questions specific to your child.
All vignettes in this book are taken from a combination of the authors clinical experience, personal experience, media work as a therapist, and letters and emails she has received. She has changed all names and identifiable details to protect the privacy of her psychotherapy clients. Any similarity between the names and stories of individuals described in this book, and those of individuals known to readers, is purely coincidental.
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PRAISE FOR S uper B aby
Dr. Jenns unplugged approach to parenting is a breath of fresh air. In SuperBaby she clears the way to good, instinctive, relationship-based parenting.
Michele Borba, EdD, internationally renowned educator, parenting expert, and award-winning author of 23 parenting books, including The Big Book of Parenting Solutions: 101 Answers to Your Everyday Challenges and Wildest Worries
Basing her recommendations on the best available evidence, Dr. Jenn provides essential and practical suggestions for 21st century parents.
Dr. Susan Linn, director of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and author of Consuming Kids: The Hostile Takeover of Childhood and The Case for Make Believe: Saving Play in a Commercialized World
As parents it is our responsibility to seek insightful, credible, and useful information when raising our childrenthis book has it all!
Christopher Gavigan, CEO and executive director of Healthy Child Healthy World and author of Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home
SuperBaby is the essential roadmap for everything parents need to know about early childhood.
Jill Spivack, LCSW, and Jennifer Waldburger, LCSW, co-creators, The Sleepeasy Solution
With our first child arriving in just weeks I devoured the information in this book, so grateful for the advice Ill be carrying SuperBaby with me for some time to come.
Sara Snow, green living expert, TV host, and author of Sara Snows Fresh Living
Dont let the title intimidate you: Mann isnt interested in creating the perfect baby, but in giving parents the research and support they need to do what they want: help their baby and toddler flourish.
Laura Diamond, editor, Los Angeles Family and the Family Magazine Group
This is a profoundly important book. It is not about techniques to push your child too hard, but about learning practices, well grounded in research, that stimulate a babys cognitive and emotional potential Read SuperBaby, apply its teachings, and become a super parent or grandparent.
Nathaniel Branden, PhD, author of twenty books, including The Six Pillars of Self Esteem
SuperBaby starts with building super parents. Dr. Jenn presents all the research and how-to information in this timely book.
Donna Holloran, BABYGROUP
This book should be required reading for every parent.
Dr. Tanya Remer Altmann, pediatrician, editor in chief of The Wonder Years, associate medical editor of Caring for Your Baby and Young Child, Birth to Age 5 and author of Mommy Calls: Dr. Tanya Answers Parents Top 101 Questions About Babies and Toddlers
Informative, engaging and inspiring, SuperBaby will help readers become super parents and empower them to do what is best for their child in the first three years of life.
Scott Cohen, MD, FAAP, author of Eat, Sleep, Poop: A Common Sense Guide to Your Babys First Year
Dr. Jenn helps parents effortlessly integrate signing into their childs life, reducing tantrums and aiding child development in many ways!
Dr. Joseph Garcia, author and creator of the Sign with Your Baby Sign Language Kit
New (and old) parents will appreciate the practical advice in this book, which Dr. Jenn bolsters with research findings on diverse aspects of language learning. She covers all the bases for early bilinguals.
Dr. Barbara Zurer Pearson, author of Raising a Bilingual Child: A Step-by-Step Guide for Parents
In SuperBaby, Dr. Jenn calms parents anxieties and skillfully demonstrates how to maximize every stage of their childrens development to spark learning, curiosity, creativity, and compassion.
Donna Corwin, author of eight parenting books, including Time Out for Toddlers, The Challenging Child, and Give Me, Get Me, Buy Me
SuperBaby is supremely researched and organizedthe charts and lists are fridge-magnet worthymaking it a reliable source of sound developmental advice.
Gregory Keer, award-winning fatherhood columnist and publisher of FamilyManOnline.com
If you use this wonderfully written, intelligently laid out and cleverly helpful book to berate yourself about what you dont knowstop. SuperBaby is a book that you will live with for years.
Marilyn Kagan, LCSW, psychotherapist and author of Defenders of the Heart
Contents
Dr. Alan Greene
This is a book that goes straight to the heart of parenting.
As parents, our deepest instinct is a yearning for our children to thrive. Ive seen this instinct surface time and again. Commonly, at the magic moment a new baby emerges into the world, eager parents check to be sure there are ten fingers and ten toes. We want our children to be healthy. But our secret hopes for our children go far beyond good health. We want them to be secure, happy, and connected, to be capable and creative, to excel.