Babies are amazing! From the moment they open their eyes, they are learning and developing at an astonishing rate.

Parents naturally want to engage with infants as they learn and grow, but what if we could optimize the way we play with babies? Backed by the latest research and years of observation, Playing with Baby distills the experts’ findings for new parents, giving them a guide to the first year of a baby’s life and the growth of his or her individual mind. Through specific month-by-month play options and the research behind them, psychoanalyst Laurie Hollman helps us understand how to create secure attachments between baby and mother even before they can communicate with language. While aiding natural development is a big plus, the real payoff for parents comes from the baby’s reaction: when we play on the baby’s level, we engage and connect more deeply—and we have more fun!