Sensory exploration and learning with newborns
A newborn has basic needs, like being clean and fed, and these needs are managed by you. Sensory exploration is also a fundamental need for your newborn that happens to be delightfully filled with the sound of your voice, lively colors, and warm, loving touch.
This article offers suggestions for purposeful interactions with your newborn and helps you recognize your baby’s developmental achievements. It is not a guide to hurrying your baby into being the best and brightest. Rather, the goal is to encourage you from day one of your baby’s life to enjoy leading him through the stages of growth because, in doing so, you will tap into the joy of parenting -- watching your child discover the things that he loves.
Some general information on your newborn’s gross motor development sets the stage for a discussion about sensory play. Your newborn’s rapidly growing body and brain facilitate his sensory intake. Initially, your baby uses reflexes. Notice how he turns his head and sucks when you gently touch his cheek; this is called the rooting reflex. He also grasps onto things by reflex. Watch as your baby’s reflexes transition into disorganized kicking of legs and waving of arms. By around three months, you will begin to see his head lifting, opening and closing of his hands, and rolling over as early signs of large muscle control. Here are a few exploration ideas to support his gross motor development during the first two months:
Activities for gross motor development
Activities for sight development
Learning and touch activities
Learning and sound activities
Getting the timing right
As you find moments to weave some intentional exploration time into your newborn’s world, keep in mind that all this new sensory input can become too much. Watch for signs of over-stimulation such as crying, fussiness, and looking away. To get a sense of when your baby is getting pleasure and benefiting from your interactions, watch his face while he is feeding. Observe his eyes and the feel of his body. Once your baby has latched onto the nipple, wait a few minutes and notice the clam concentration in his face. He is alert, attentive, and content (and later he may also be sleepy). That middle period of feeding can be your gauge for how your baby looks and feels during appropriate sensory exploration. That calm intentness characterizes the focus that all parents love to see as their children find the activities that both challenge and please him. Keep in mind that a newborn will not smile or laugh in response to new, positive stimulation, but he will show content concentration.
The ability to sense the right time to introduce new things to your baby is a unique dynamic between you and your baby. As you develop a sense of your baby’s cues for play, you will also gain some of your earliest insights into your baby’s temperament. During these early weeks, reserve making a solid determination of your baby’s temperament (and other people’s desire to also). But be aware that early childhood specialists recognize that from a very young age humans react to new experiences in some common temperament categories. Infants can adapt quickly and easily, with difficulty, or slowly when introduced to new experiences. As you gain a sense of your baby’s temperament, you will find that you will adjust the amount of stimulation your baby experiences to allow for optimal pleasure while exploring his environment.
Learning in the ‘every day’
You are your new baby’s best teacher and first playmate. Remarkably, the majority of the things that you need to help your newborn become adept at taking in information through his senses are with you at all times -- your smile, your voice, and your touch. Also, keep in mind that meeting the basic needs for food and trust fulfills his cognitive needs as well. Well-fed newborns thrive because their nutritional needs are being met and their ability to trust grows at the same time. Not only does good feeding provide physical and emotional benefits, the tactile sensations associated with feeding, holding, talking, and touching also foster cognitive growth. So, tired moms and dads, feeding and diapering your newborn feels like a full-time job because it is multiple full-time jobs -- chef, maid, therapist, and educator.
Taking care of you
As you guide your newborn through exploration of touch, sight, and hearing, you need to remain aware of your own needs. The crucial bond of attachment between a child and his primary care-givers fails to form most often in mothers experiencing depression. The chemical state of the depressed brain decreases the mother’s own ability to enjoy life and initiate explorative activities. Simply put, depressed mothers do not initiate as much conversation and touching as mothers not showing the signs of depression. So you should not feel selfish asking for help when experiencing the following signs of depression for a period of weeks: feelings of helplessness, loss of appetite, and avoiding others for a period of weeks. Taking care of your baby means taking good care of yourself.
Even a mother who is not experiencing a chemical depression will not feel like smiling and exploring senses with her new baby all the time. When you do lead your newborn in sensory exploration, however, you will come to know your baby’s developing expressions, temperament, and notice the fast rate of his evolving abilities. By interacting with your baby and knowing what he likes and dislikes, you will focus on the fundamentals of fostering your baby’s well being and increase your experiences of the joy of parenting.
