Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #71872 in Books
• Published on: 2005-11-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 396 pages

Customer Reviews

a lot of "why to," not so much "how to"
This book is about 400 pages long, but only about 100 pages is truly about "how to multiply your baby's intelligence." The other 300 pages are really written as a justification and testimonial about why you should teach your baby. Personally, I didn't need that much convincing and was more interested in the practical strategies of teaching. The three chapters on teaching, "How to Teach Your Baby to Read," "How to Teach Your Baby Math," and "How to Give Your Baby Encyclopedic Knowledge," were pretty much taken right out of the books by those names. I would much more highly recommend those books, as they include more information on how to teach those specific areas (and also include some convincing if you need it).

However, these books present the material as if you will only be teaching that subject. I had hoped that this book would give strategies on how to combine teaching all these areas, but it really didn't. The only thing it said was to start with reading, then add encyclopedic knowledge, then add math (literally one sentence without any further explanation). It did not have practical information like how many sessions total is appropriate for a baby. For instance, the reading chapter has you do 15 sessions a day. The encyclopedic knowledge section has you do 30 sessions a day. The math section has you do 9 sessions a day. If you did all of that, you'd be doing 54 sessions a day--obviously impossible if you had to space them out as you're supposed to. A chapter is clearly missing from this book on what a home program with all of these areas should look like.

If you buy all of these books (How to...Read, How to...Math, How to...Knowledge, How to Multiply), you will find a lot of repetition, as each book makes its case for why you should teach your baby. If you haven't bought any of the books in this series and are curious about teaching your baby, but you aren't sure you should or that it's possible, this book is a good place to start. But if you already have, let's say, "How to Teach Your Baby to Read," and are hoping to get some new insights here--you won't. Just stick with what you have or go ahead and get another book, like "How to Teach Your Baby Math," as opposed to buying this.

Skip it
The book is a great book if you're "just looking."
If you are at all serious...or might be serious about teaching your child, skip this book and just get the others.
I didn't feel this book had in depth information on any of the programs; you would end up buying or borrowing the other books anyway.

Buy the Other Books
Doman's books are a must read, but this book is just a summary of all other books. I still give a 5 star because it gives a good overview.
Start reading How to teach to Read and then How to Teach Math. If you are into it, go to Encyclopedic knowledge. Then take their courses, in Philadelphia, but they are a couple of thousand dollars. Do it all before your baby is born. I read this book 10 years before my wife got pregnant and it changed my life... and my daughter's (I hope). Now she is 3. But don't get too carried away. Believe me, some parents do get carried away. The ones in Philadelphia seem to belong to a sect. Just enjoy your children and add this to the fun. I took the course in Philadelphia but I really don't do much of the program. Still, I raise my daughter differently from what I would otherwise have done without having read this book. You will not be the same person after you read it. And it is not about teaching your baby to read. It is about teaching your baby about life.
You will have more respect for your child and will not let your baby grow "by accident." Instead, you will be able to actively participate in the learning process and challenge your child to fulfill his or her intellectual potential. If you have a child, or if you don't but you love someone, this is the only book that you must read. Remember, read it before the baby is born. This book (or the others in the collection) are a wonderful present for an expecting mother.