cover image Into the Minds of Babes: How Screen Time Affects Children from Birth to Age Five

Into the Minds of Babes: How Screen Time Affects Children from Birth to Age Five

Lisa Guernsey, . . Basic, $25 (287pp) ISBN 978-0-465-02798-9

A science journalist and mother of two, Guernsey manages to extricate straightforward information and guidelines from the morass of research, articles and debates on screen media and child brain development. Easily digestible chapters are smartly structured around 12 pervasive concerns of interviewees from all walks of life. Guernsey explains how parents can shrewdly navigate a TV, DVD and video game market that has only begun developing its potential, much like the minds of the children it targets. Wisely sticking to manageable and legitimate solutions suitable for parents who don't see abstention as an option, Guernsey encourages parents to balance TV-watching with creative play and parent-child bonding time. The “three Cs” approach—considering content, context and child when making decisions about media-watching—is easily understood and adaptable to any family situation. (Sept.)