Part 1: SETUP AND QUICK START GUIDE

Chapter 4: Keeping Your Baby’s Brain “Green” (Birth to Two)

It is no wonder that the authors of two excellent recent summaries — Buy, Buy Baby and Into the Minds of Babes — are themselves concerned mothers driven to figure out for themselves what is actually going on. Buy, Buy Baby (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007, ISBN 10:0-618-46351-8) by Susan Gregory Thomas, a very capable journalist and mother, gives an intelligent, excellent, readable, extremely informative, and very well-written discussion of the spread of the marketing culture into the lives of babies and their parents. Reporter and mother Lisa Gurnsey provides an excellent, readable, intelligent, and balanced review of current research on the effects of interactive media on the cognitive and emotional development of preschoolers in Into the Minds of Babes (Basic Books, 2007, ISBN 10: 0-465-02798.)

Begin to bring the whole family into the circle around the computer and enjoy slide shows, vacation planning, visiting with relatives, and other online and interactive media experiences together. For example, listen to audio books as a family(http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/10/technology/personaltech/10audible.html?_r=1&scp=65&sq=children%20technology&st=cse and http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/05/technology/online-library-project-plans-a-digital-and-cultural-trove-for-children.html?scp=79&sq=children%20technology&st=cse).

As your child gets older, your choice of media content becomes increasingly important. Much content is available online
(http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/13/technology/personaltech/13pbs.html?_r=1&scp=47&sq=children%20technology&st=cse).
For instance, regularly reviewing relevant sites like http://www.greatschools.org can make parents more effective in their collaboration with school.