Reflections on lessons from randomized trials of newborn infants, 1951-1967

I think just about every parent has performed some sort of experiment on his/her baby, although we don't often label it as such (and fortunately, we don't often have to perform the sort of life-or-death experiments that Dr. Silverman was involved in).

My experiences experimenting on my own kids led me to write "Experimenting With Babies: 50 Amazing Science Projects You Can Perform on Your Kid" (available wherever books are sold). It's a collection of completely safe science experiments that parents can perform on their own babies, with no special equipment needed. All of the projects are adapted from published academic research in various fields of child development, but don't worry -- there's nothing ethically troubling or harmful, and the projects aren't meant to see if your kid "measures up." They're just to help you better understand how your baby is developing in the first two years.

If you'd like a little preview, check out the December issue of Parents magazine, where (to the best of my knowledge) there will be an excerpt featuring five experiments from the book.