Sleep Well, Take Risks, Squish the Peas

“By encouraging readers to be more spontaneous and adventurous, Merali frees them to be better and more authentic human beings…. An interesting and well-reasoned approach to help readers slow down, relearn how to relax, and shed any notions of what it means to be an adult.” —Library Journal“In this telling (balanced, of course, by the downsides), understanding the toddlerverse is a point of entry into a marvelous stage of children’s lives and a more positive way of being an adult.” —Harvard Magazine, Off the Shelf, March/April 2024“From the psychology of toddlers comes a surprisingly intuitive blueprint for a better life. This is one of the most original advice books I’ve read in a long time!” —Cal Newport, New York Times bestselling author of Digital Minimalism and Deep Work ”Sleep Well, Take Risks, Squish the Peas is one of those books that you find yourself thinking about well after you’ve finished it. It turns out we already know how to live a fulfilling life. We just forgot the lessons. Hasan Merali provides a much needed fresh perspective, showing us with plenty of evidence to back it up, why we need to be a little more like a toddler. A must-read for anyone looking to have a healthier, happier, more productive life.” —Steve Magness, author of Do Hard Things and coauthor of Peak Performance

Hasan Merali, MD, MPH is an associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at McMaster’s Children’s Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario. He received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School and Master of Public Health degree from Johns Hopkins University. His research focuses on child injury prevention in low- and middle-income countries. He has published more than twenty-five peer-reviewed journal articles and his writing has been featured in Science, The Boston Globe, NBC, CBC, and Popular Science. Dr. Merali lives in Oakville, Ontario with his wife and their toddler daughter.