All parents like to think their child is brighter than average, often pushing them to excel from a very young age, writes Lisa Salmon.

But while parents shouldn't try to hot house' young children in this way, they are right to encourage their brain power from the very start, according to a new book.

Your Clever Baby shows how parents can maximise their child's potential cleverness right from conception - but its author, Dr Carol Cooper, stresses that being clever is not just about doing well in IQ tests.

"It's about emotional intelligence as well" she says. "Babies need to learn social skills and common sense in addition to skills that'll help them in IQ tests."

The book looks at children from birth to the age of three, as by this time youngsters have laid the foundations for all their future learning.

And while there are different ways for parents to maximise their child's potential cleverness at different stages of their early life, Cooper says the two key themes throughout the whole period are encouraging a child to use all its senses, and love and support from its parents.

"Babies need to touch, taste, see and smell as much as they can, and parents should encourage it. It might be annoying for a parent if a child puts its hands in its beans, but it wants to know what they feel like.

"As adults, we already know these things, but a baby doesn't and it's up to its parents to help it learn about the sensory world whenever it's practical."

Clever babies are alert, Cooper says, and interested in the world around them. They want to find out more about the people and animals in their world, and show an interest in communicating. And as they repeat actions, they are learning and developing a rich network of brain cells, due in part to nature, but also to nurture.

"While there are undeniably advantages of having great genes to start with, nurture plays a key role in intellectual development.

"Genes provide the raw material, but you provide the environment that helps to build the structure."

As well as encouraging children to use all their senses, parents can boost cleverness through nourishment, partic ularly by giving children the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, plus fish oils.

While Cooper, a family doctor and mother of three boys herself, understands that parents are incredibly busy, she stresses: "Make the most of the time you have with your child, and think how they can learn just from the ordinary things you're doing.

"So, talk to them while you're doing things, get toddlers to help if they can, and remember that maximising their cleverness can be fun for both of you."

Your Clever Baby, by Dr Carol Cooper, is published by Ryland Peters & Small, priced £14.99.

Available March 1.