Bright from the Start (by Dr. Jill Stamm and Paula Spencer)
(Complete title –> Bright from the Start: The Simple, Science-Backed Way to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind from Birth to Age 3)
I like this book for the fact that it is so logical. It teaches parents how to get babies’ attention, to form bonding and communicate with babies through much care, singing, talking, playing, and all activities. All seems too simple, but the author assures you with scientific researches and studies in phsycology, neuroscience, etc.
The book focus more on what parents should do to get a bright baby, instead of the milestones of what baby should have been able to do at certain ages.
So after reading this book, in order to get a bright baby, I know I have to:
- provide a loving and safe environment
- talk and sing a lot to baby
- hold baby often (not to let her cry for too long)
- make sure to get the right caregiver, if needed (if both parents are working)
- get baby a piano or violin lesson starting age 2 or 3 (the author does not agree to the hype of mozart effect; so it is better for children to know how to play a music instrument instead of just listening to classical musics)
- teach baby a second language (I think I will start talking English with baby soon)
I recommend this book for first-time parents like me. Though the author says it’s never to late to give love and care to babies, I think if your baby is already older than 2 or 3 yo, you will feel awful for not doing what the book suggests from after birth. 
I bought another set of books for my wife (an Indonesian version of Baby Book, I think the authors are a family with last name Sears). A good book as well.
