The Wonder Weeks: A Stress-Free Guide to Your Baby's Behavior

by Hetty van de Rijt PhD, Frans X. Plooij PhD, Xaviera Plas-Plooij

Overview

Everything a new parent needs to know about their baby’s 10 magical “leaps”—and when to expect them—in a new, modern sixth edition of The Wonder Weeks

The Wonder Weeks answers the question, “Why is my baby cranky, clingy, and crying?” with helpful guidance. Maybe they’re experiencing a leap in brain development, after which new skills are mastered, discoveries are made, and perceptions evolve. Fussy behavior might signal that great progress is underway!

Better yet, these phases occur on similar schedules for most babies—as explained and mapped out in this book—so parents can anticipate the “stormy weeks” that precede the “sunny weeks.” Based on decades of research, this fully revised sixth edition covers the first 20 months of a baby’s life and includes:

• The top 10 things to know and remember about a leap
• Fun games to support brain development
• Fill-in-the-blank checklists to help better understand personality and behavior traits
• Science-based explanations about sleep
• Fresh insight and recent commentary from new parents who’ve used The Wonder Weeks
• Anchor moments to keep new parents sane, especially when they are exhausted and discouraged

With 2 million+ books sold, and 4 million+ downloads of the corresponding app, The Wonder Weeks has struck a chord. Join the phenomenon that has been embraced by celebrities, social media influencers, and parents worldwide.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781682684276
Publisher:	Countryman Press, The
Publication date:	09/10/2019
Edition description:	6th Edition
Pages:	464
Sales rank:	64,922
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Xaviera Plooij is a mother of three and the best-selling author and CEO of The Wonder Weeks brand. She lives with her children in the Netherlands.

Frans X. Plooij, PhD, has been conducting research in the field of psychology for close to 50 years. Highlights include working alongside his wife, Dr. van de Rijt, with Dr. Jane Goodall on infant development in free-living chimpanzees in the Gombe National Park; leading the department of Research and Development at the institute for Child Studies of the City of Amsterdam; and currently presiding over the International Research Institute on Infant Studies (IRIS) at Arnhem, the Netherlands. He is a full member of several international scientific societies in the domains of child development and behavioral biology and of the New York Academy of Sciences.

The late Hetty van de Rijt received her PhD at Cambridge University as a physical anthropologist. With her husband, Dr. Plooij, she studied infant development in free-living chimpanzees with Dr. Jane Goodall in the Gombe National Park. As a researcher at the University of Amsterdam, she studied the development of human babies in their home environment through direct observations, filming, and in-depth interviews with their parents.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Sixth Edition 12

Introduction 14

Your Baby's 10 Leaps in Mental Development 17

#Blessed and #Stressed 31

Newborn: Welcome to the World 45

Sleeps and Leaps 59

Leap 1 The World of Changing Sensations (Around 5 Weeks) 87

Leap 2 The World of Patterns (Around 8 Weeks) 103

Leap 3 The World of Smooth Transitions (Around 12 Weeks) 131

Leap 4 The World of Events (Around 19 Weeks) 159

The Top 10 Things You Really Need to Know! 195

Leap 5 The World of Relationships (Around 26 Weeks) 207

Leap 6 The World of Categories (Around 37 Weeks) 249

Leap 7 The World of Sequences (Around 46 Weeks) 283

Leap 8 The World of Programs (Around 55 Weeks) 315

Leap 9 The World of Principles (Around 64 Weeks) 349

Leap 10 The World of Systems (Around 75 Weeks) 397

Postscript 447

Further Reading 449

Index 453

Editorial Reviews

"Reading The Wonder Weeks saved my sanity more than once during the times my baby got inexplicably fussy or refused to sleep. It's a must read for any new mom."

Popsugar.family

"The book outlines when and why each “wonder week” happens; it also offers parents insights into how to help their babies navigate each wonder week, and turn it into a leap forward for baby."

The Baby Sleep Site

"Armed with the insight of [The Wonder Weeks] I would have been more confident as a new parent... rather than anxious, about how my baby was experiencing the world"

Rookie Moms

"This is a very practical and entertaining window into the baby's first year and a half. van de Rijt and Plooij have observed and found the vulnerable times in an infant's development that I independently came to in my book Touchpoints (Perseus). The authors' observations and practical suggestions are wonderful."

T. Berry Brazelton

"Fantastic tips on how to help baby reach his potential during and after [the wonder weeks]."

The Cradle Coach

"One of our personal favorites…[a] comprehensive guide to baby’s development during the first 20 months…"

The Bump

"Anyone who deals with infants and young children will want to read The Wonder Weeks. This book will open parents' eyes to aspects of their children's growth, development, changing behavior, and emotional responsiveness that they might otherwise not notice or find puzzling and distressing."

Catherine Snow

"The Wonder Weeks is the newly-updated go-to guide for understanding your child’s mental developmental milestones (referred to as “leaps”)….Understanding the real reason behind crying and eating and sleeping problems is the only real solution parents need, and take it from us—you’ll be glad to be in the know."

Pregnancy & Newborn

"Once I realized there was a reason—and a positive reason, at that—that my kid had suddenly turned terrible, it eased the pain of parenting through these times."

Mom.com