Infancy: The Basics

Infancy: The Basics offers an introduction to the developmental science  behind the fascinating world of infant development. This book takes the  reader from before birth through the moment infants come into the world  seemingly unable to do much but eat, eliminate, and sleep, and across  the few short, incredible years, to when infants are walking, talking,  thinking humans with clear preferences, wishes, and dreams, having  already forged strong long-lasting relationships.

Dispelling  common myths and misconceptions about how infants’ perception,  cognition, language, and personalities develop, this accessible  evidence-based book takes a novel whole-child approach and provides  insight into the joint roles of nature (biology) and nurture  (experiences) in infant development, how to care for babies to give them  the best start in life, and what it means for infants to become  thinking communicating social partners. Topics in this book are covered  with an eye firmly fixed on how infants’ first years set the stage for  the rest of their lives. By helping us understand infants, experts Marc  H. Bornstein and Martha E. Arterberry give us the opportunity to learn  about the resiliency of our species and the many different contexts in  which families rear infants. They cover key topics, including how babies  are studied scientifically, prenatal development and the newborn  period, how infants explore and understand the world around them, how  infants begin to communicate, how infants develop an emotional life,  personality, and temperament, how infants build relationships, and how  parents succeed in bringing up babies in challenging circumstances.

This  concise clear guide to the years from before birth to 3 is for students  of developmental psychology, pediatric medicine and nursing, education,  and social work. It also for all parents and professionals caring for  infants, who want to understand the secret world of infancy.