My Quora answer to "What foundational aspects of programming could be taught in early childhood education?" - http://www.quora.com/What-foundational-aspects-of-programming-could-be-taught-in-early-childhood-education/answer/Teresa-Gonczy

Programming as many programmers think about it (typing various commands in Java or C or whatever language of the day, long algorithmic procedures, waiting for it to compile, etc) is obviously not something that preschoolers can do, but there are aspects of programming and computer science that can be learned in early childhood - sometimes using computers, but often not using any 'technology'.
 
To start off, why programming in early childhood?  Because we want our kids to be creators, not just consumers.  “When human beings acquired language, we learned not just how to listen but how to speak. When we gained literacy, we learned not just how to read but how to write. And as we move into an increasingly digital reality, we must learn not just how to use programs but how to make them.”Program or be Programmed  Our kids (and thus our future adults) should understand how computers work - that it's not magic, but rather that a real person (or more likely a large group of people) designed the hardware and the software, and that anyone can hack at it or change it.
 
From a more academic standpoint, programming principles are wonderful for teaching sequencing, following a set of rules or procedures, and breaking a larger problem down into smaller 'bite-size' pieces - all of which are essential skills to learn in early childhood.  Algorithms don't have to be done on a computer - following a cooking recipe, remembering how to navigate around the school, even knowing the order of how to put your clothing layers on are all algorithms, albeit very simple ones.
 
Programming is also about abstract thinking, which is something that young children are not very good at yet - but I would argue that just because they're not good at it (and probably won't be for a while) doesn't mean that they can't practice basic abstractions at an age-appropriate level.  Asking generalized questions - not just "What do you need to put on before going outside?", but "What would a person need to put on before going outside?"  Helping children to use symbols to represent something else - possibly making up their own 'language'.  Using Legos or other basic building toys to create 'something' out of 'nothing' - a house from blocks, a necklace from pasta.
 
Many programming concepts are actually being taught to preschoolers already, without being thought of as programming or having anything to do with computers.  But learning how to use technology is also important - there are many programs coming out to help young children get even more into programming.  Scratch JR (Page on Mit) uses graphics, rather than typing.  And a project out of Tufts (http://ase.tufts.edu/devtech/pub...) uses physical/tangible objects that the kids can manipulate to lay out their computer programs, and has been shown to develop children's sequencing abilities (Page on Tufts) 
 
Estonia starts teaching coding in first grade (Why Estonia Has Started Teaching Its First-Graders To Code) - maybe we should one up them and start even earlier?  :-)
 
Also - Page on Pbskids

UPDATE 9/9/13 - you can also use board games to teach programming concepts to 3-8 year olds - check out Robot Turtles!  http://www.kickstarter.com/proje...

My Quora response to "What are the best educational baby toys for 0-6 month old babies?" - http://www.quora.com/Babies/What-are-the-best-educational-baby-toys-for-0-6-month-old-babies/answer/Teresa-Gonczy

Quick answer - the best educational baby toy, especially for a 0-6 month old, is.... YOU!  :-)  
 
Babies at that young age don't really need 'toys' - they need interaction.  Someone to hold them, someone to talk with them, someone to take care of their needs in a comforting way.
 
Once they get closer to six months old, it's nice for them to have objects to reach for and to practice grabbing & holding, but an empty toilet paper roll or a kitchen serving spoon or that random mate-less sock from the dryer is just as good as any 'educational toy' you can buy.

My Quora answer to "What are the most high leverage activities I can do with my 1-2 year old to promote his mental and cognitive development?" - http://www.quora.com/Child-Development/What-are-the-most-high-leverage-activities-I-can-do-with-my-1-2-year-old-to-promote-his-mental-and-cognitive-development/answer/Teresa-Gonczy

Good diet, rich & varied environment, and having fun are all very, very important!  Overall, happy parents = happy baby, so if you're stressing out about promoting development, then it's not worth it.  But that being said, there are specific things that you can do to promote baby & toddler mental and cognitive development...

-Talk with your baby.  A lot!  Describe everything that's going on - focus on the here and now so that your baby can connect the words you saying with the world that he can see and interact with.

-Make sure that you are using specific words, not pronouns (he, she, it, etc).  For example, "Oh look, there's a dog.  See the dog running.   That's a pretty black dog.  Oh, the dog is coming over here.  Ha, the  dog licked your nose!" will teach the word 'dog' much faster as opposed  to "Oh look, there's a  dog.  It's running.  Isn't it pretty?  Oh, it's coming over here.  Ha,  it licked your nose!"

-Be sure to talk *with* your baby, not at your baby.  Interaction is just as important, if not more important, than amount.  Turn your speech into a conversation.  Watch and listen to your baby for their responses - little coos, widened  eyes, puckered lips, waving hands.  Also when you aren't interacting directly with your baby, try to stay aware enough to still respond to these little cues.  By giving attention to these 'language/conversation attempts' no matter how small, you're teaching your baby and your baby's brain that his noises and vocalizations are important - and then he will  practice them more, and the more he practices verbal interaction, the  better he will  get!

-Learn some basic sign language and do the signs with your baby.  Combining the physical movement with the lots of verbal language helps your baby to use multiple parts of his little brain.  You didn't need to learn a lot of signs - in fact, it's often better if you don't because then it often helps parents (and thus babies) to really focus in on the most relevant concept in a string of words.  Using the 'dog' example from above, if you combine it with doing the sign for 'dog', then the baby cues in more to that the word 'dog' refers to the fluffy thing running around, rather than any of the other words you said.

-Start practicing executive functioning games.  Self-control and the ability to inhibit behavior is strongly correlated with success later in life.  So start working on it now, but in a fun way.  Play Opposite Simon Says where your toddler has to do the opposite of whatever Simon Says.  For example, if you tap once, toddler should tap twice and vice versa.  Or if you say 'dog' they point to the 'cat' and vice versa.  (Obviously you do this after your baby has a very firm grasp on the correct or non-opposite way.)

-Make sure your baby gets enough sleep and downtime.  Your baby's brain needs time to consolidate all of the input it's receiving.  So baby needs sleep!  :-)  Also your baby needs some time to just take in the world, be able to self-regulate, etc - so you don't need to be interacting with your baby all of their waking hours either.

Hope that helps!  :-)  As another responder said, it's not worth hothousing your child, but there are some simple changes you can do in how you interact with your baby and what types of activities you do with your baby, which can have a huge effect on helping them to grow and develop mentally and emotionally.