Your baby changes and grows so much in this first year. Track your baby’s development month by month, encourage your baby’s learning with our suggested activities . Find practical information on health and safety. We can help you with tips on crying, sleeping or even what to look for when choosing a baby sitter. Have questions about basic care? We have the answers !
Baby brain development - building a foundation for life
The ways you interact with your baby will help determine how her brain develops.
Wow, you are a new parent! You have a beautiful, soft, cuddly baby. On the other hand, maybe your baby is soft and beautiful … but screaming! Both ways, she is yours and you have waited months for the chance to hold and love this child. Now, what to do? Let’s consider the choices.
If you had the choice to build the foundation of your house out of strong mortar and concrete block or out of rotten timber and sand, which one would you choose? Of course, you would want a strong foundation so your house doesn’t crumble.
Gazing at your baby, speaking gently and touching her lovingly all work towards laying a good foundation of love, attention, and caring that nurtures your baby to grow and develop into a triumphant child. What you do in your child’s early years builds a foundation. Early healthy brain connections continue to grow strong and carry the child through tough life situations later on.
The brain is like an individual circuit board. Wiring connects as a child learns things.
False. From day one, babies see you, smell you and know if the important people in their lives are near. Like little wires in a computer, from day one, they begin to form connections from what they hear, see, smell and taste.
In the brain, pathways are laid down and reinforced in the early years, based on what the baby experiences. If the baby experiences loud argumentative tones during these critical periods, she will most likely make that part of who she is by either becoming loud and argumentative or by recalling her feelings associated with the loudness (maybe cowering, for example). As your baby experiences things, brain chemicals are released called neurotransmitters. If negative chemicals are released over and over and again, they can permanently change the structure of the brain.
A baby can’t really understand if you read her a story or sing a song, so why bother?
True and false. A baby may not understand a complex story plot, but she begins to hear language and the rhythm of language. This forms connections in the brain. Singing and reading are both very important to do. Interestingly, whatever language the child is exposed to, that language pathway will be laid down in the circuitry of the brain. For example, if a child is exposed to Chinese, she will speak Chinese.
Patterned activity is doing something over and over (talking, singing, speaking Spanish). When an activity is done over and over and again, that activity becomes a permanent structure within the brain.
Tip: Talk to your baby every day to help lay down the foundation for your baby’s language.
A baby can’t really ‘feel’ emotions like love or anger.
False and true. Your baby’s emotions are not mature like an adult, who can sense anger or love, but in time, by watching you, she will learn from you about love and managing anger. One of the strongest areas of the brain is where emotions are wired. The limbic system (which governs emotions) is tied very strongly to behaviors and memory. Do you remember how you felt when you smelled your grandmother’s baking bread or the grease of your father’s overalls? The senses are tied very strongly to brain development.
Tip: Your baby prefers human faces and touches over devices such as a computer, telephone, or television. Your face, voice, touch, and smell teach your baby. Babies naturally look to faces and would rather listen to talking or singing above any other kind of sound.
Building a strong foundation early in life takes an investment of time and caring. Some days you will feel like you don’t have any more to give but you must remember how important every connection is in your developing ‘triumphant child’. Parenting won’t end after the first three to five years, but investing in the first five years will lay the groundwork for the years to come and make parenting far easier than if you don’t. It matters -- you matter to your child.
By Dr Karen Debord
If you had the choice to build the foundation of your house out of strong mortar and concrete block or out of rotten timber and sand, which one would you choose? Of course, you would want a strong foundation so your house doesn’t crumble.
Gazing at your baby, speaking gently and touching her lovingly all work towards laying a good foundation of love, attention, and caring that nurtures your baby to grow and develop into a triumphant child. What you do in your child’s early years builds a foundation. Early healthy brain connections continue to grow strong and carry the child through tough life situations later on.
The brain is like an individual circuit board. Wiring connects as a child learns things.
- If a baby cries and you meet that cry with a dry diaper or milk, then she learns that crying is key to communication (until she learns words). Thwirrrrp! A connection is made! Wiring is starting to happen.
- If a baby learns that they can smile at you and that you will smile back and look pleased … thwirrrrp! A connection is made. Smiling is a preferred behavior. Wiring is starting to happen.
- If a baby cries from her bed for an hour and the next day for two hours and nobody comes to attend to her … thwirrrrp! A connection is made that my cries won’t be answered so why try?
- If a toddler is hit for touching the toilet water and told she is bad … thwirrrrp! A connection is made that I am shamed for exploring the feel of the cool swirling water. Wiring is starting to happen.
True or false?
A baby doesn’t pay attention to what I do, so ignoring, yelling or being gone a lot are things she won’t notice until she is older.False. From day one, babies see you, smell you and know if the important people in their lives are near. Like little wires in a computer, from day one, they begin to form connections from what they hear, see, smell and taste.
In the brain, pathways are laid down and reinforced in the early years, based on what the baby experiences. If the baby experiences loud argumentative tones during these critical periods, she will most likely make that part of who she is by either becoming loud and argumentative or by recalling her feelings associated with the loudness (maybe cowering, for example). As your baby experiences things, brain chemicals are released called neurotransmitters. If negative chemicals are released over and over and again, they can permanently change the structure of the brain.
A baby can’t really understand if you read her a story or sing a song, so why bother?
True and false. A baby may not understand a complex story plot, but she begins to hear language and the rhythm of language. This forms connections in the brain. Singing and reading are both very important to do. Interestingly, whatever language the child is exposed to, that language pathway will be laid down in the circuitry of the brain. For example, if a child is exposed to Chinese, she will speak Chinese.
Patterned activity is doing something over and over (talking, singing, speaking Spanish). When an activity is done over and over and again, that activity becomes a permanent structure within the brain.
Tip: Talk to your baby every day to help lay down the foundation for your baby’s language.
A baby can’t really ‘feel’ emotions like love or anger.
False and true. Your baby’s emotions are not mature like an adult, who can sense anger or love, but in time, by watching you, she will learn from you about love and managing anger. One of the strongest areas of the brain is where emotions are wired. The limbic system (which governs emotions) is tied very strongly to behaviors and memory. Do you remember how you felt when you smelled your grandmother’s baking bread or the grease of your father’s overalls? The senses are tied very strongly to brain development.
Tip: Your baby prefers human faces and touches over devices such as a computer, telephone, or television. Your face, voice, touch, and smell teach your baby. Babies naturally look to faces and would rather listen to talking or singing above any other kind of sound.
Brain development
Everyone is born with over 100 billion brain cells. More brain cells do not develop, but more connections are made as babies begin to experience things. Babies who hear language, develop language. Babies who get little interaction, give little interaction. Both are learned behaviors. Learning is very, very fast in the first three years. Remember the strong house foundation we discussed? The same goes for your child.Hearing and sight
There are critical windows in your baby’s development that relate to brain development. The development of hearing and sight are two that are critical:- Hearing. If your baby gets an ear infection, be sure to work towards getting it cured. If she cannot hear, she cannot learn to speak properly or listen to you.
- Sight. Infants begin by seeing black and white and do not develop the ability to see whole color until about three months. Newborns can see the distance from your eyes to the arm in which you hold them. They begin to sharpen the edges of their sight and see whole color at about two to four months. If your child has cataracts or any vision issues in the first three years, the brain will not be able to fully take in all it needs to make the critical connections.
Encouraging brain development: play with your child
Some parents ask, ‘How do you play with a newborn?’ If you have never been a parent before, it is okay to ask and learn! Here are some steps:- Get on your baby’s level. For example, lay your baby on the bed for some ‘tummy time’, then sit on the floor so your baby can see your face.
- Listen to her. Repeat back the sounds your baby makes and look at her to see if you were right. Your baby will learn that back-and-forth exchange is conversation.
- Have a routine. Babies like to know what to expect next. If you have an evening routine of play, breast or bottle (no TV!), bathtime, pajamas, lullabies and bedtime, your baby will learn what to expect and be more manageable. They begin to categorize things in their brain and knowing what to expect builds a feeling of safety and security.
- Let your baby explore. Part of growing a healthy connected brain is exploring new materials and places and trying new things. Let your new baby listen to different types of music and feel a variety of textures. Carry your baby in a sling and go for a walk, she will feel, hear, see, and experience what it is like to be outside. Calm, loving, responsive care-giving is the best environment to encourage learning and safe exploration.
Building a strong foundation early in life takes an investment of time and caring. Some days you will feel like you don’t have any more to give but you must remember how important every connection is in your developing ‘triumphant child’. Parenting won’t end after the first three to five years, but investing in the first five years will lay the groundwork for the years to come and make parenting far easier than if you don’t. It matters -- you matter to your child.
By Dr Karen Debord
Recommended Products
Related Tips
- Baby Smiles
- Your baby’s smile might be telling you more than you think.
- more
Comments
Search:
