There are 100 billion nerve cells in the human brain, all of which are present at birth but have few connections. As babies grow, these cells form a complex network that helps the brains function. According to research, there are specific experiences you can provide your newborn to foster those everlasting bonds. The good news is that they are all simple to complete.
Here are some things your baby would ask for if they could speak to you to help develop their developing brains:
Images with increasing complexity and contrast
A baby’s brain development benefits from exposure to high-contrast visuals, according to decades of studies. Babies rely mostly on their sight to learn how the world functions up until roughly the fifth month. When your baby’s eyes begin to work together, they will be drawn to sights with a lot of contrast.
Here are some pointers for growing your baby’s eyes:
- Place your baby’s face around 12 inches away from basic visuals to begin with (about the distance from your wrist to your elbow). As soon as your baby starts to lose interest, hold the images steady and try not to change them. Your child might fixate on the images for several seconds or even minutes at a time.
- As their eyes get stronger, they can eventually switch to more complex images when they lose interest in one.
- To assist kids practice following a moving item with their eyes, you can aid encourage visual tracking by gently panning an image across their face. Later on, reading, writing, and hand-eye coordination all depend on this ability.
- For the first 14 weeks, show high-contrast images when driving, doing tummy time, and during alert “play” times.
Protection against a variety of mixed noises
Since a newborn’s neural system lacks a filter, it is impossible for them to block out everything their eyes see, their ears hear, or their skin feels. A baby can quickly become over stimulated and confused by multiple sound sources at once, even in the typical coffee shop setting with music playing, people talking, traffic noise, etc., leading to their shutting down. One human voice at a time and soothing, rhythmic tones are preferred by your newborn.
Assist in expanding out of the position of the womb
It’s crucial for newborns to stretch out of the fetal position and activate their muscles in new ways after spending so much time in the womb. Your infant can prevent flat areas on their head, develop strength, and start to grasp where their body is in space by being offered a range of postures throughout the day. Although baby swings, strollers, car seats, and carriers are wonderful and occasionally essential, try to give your child some time on a level surface each day.
Here are some pointers to help your infant acquire strength and prevent flat spots:
- In order to prevent a flat spot from growing and the muscles in the neck from tightening, occupational therapists advise rotating your baby’s head from side to side. Here is a video from Rachel Coley, an occupational therapist for children with extensive training in the neurodevelopment of young children. Most newborns are unable to keep their heads forward; they usually flip them to one side or the other. As a result of their position in the womb, babies typically prefer to turn their heads in one direction at birth, therefore it’s crucial to teach your child to swivel their heads in both directions.
- Side lying is generally less frustrating for parents than tummy time and is also beneficial for babies. Your baby can develop their back and abdominal muscles while lying on their side and it also encourages them to put their hands together, which is a crucial developmental stage.
Here’s how to do it:
- Roll a blanket up and place it under your baby to support their back when they are lying on their side (always with your supervision).
- To keep your infant entertained, place some black and white playing cards in a standing card holder in their field of sight.
- After a while, switch to the opposite side and repeat.
- Additionally, infants like to lie on their backs with their heads tilted to one side. Make sure to occasionally switch sides by rotating their head slowly.
Low lights when awake
A newborn’s eyes require a few weeks to acclimate to brighter light after spending nine months in the womb’s low light. When awake and under dim light, infants will open their eyes and take a brief glance around the room. A newborn’s eyes frequently do not point in the same direction, so this early staring gives them practice using both eyes together and works their pupillary reflex, which causes the pupil to dilate or enlarge depending on the amount of light. By gradually changing the light’s intensity, you can promote the growth of your baby’s brain-eye connection (avoid strong lights, such as direct sun). When your infant is awake, you can use a dimmer switch, a low bulb, or curtains.
Skin-on-skin time
Having skin-on-skin contact can occasionally feel uncomfortable, but it’s worth it. Your kid will experience a wide range of advantages, including better digestion, better temperature control, weight gain, stronger immunity, better sleep, and even faster brain development. Feel-good hormones are released when you and your baby enjoy close skin contact, which has advantages for parents as well.
Following are some pointers and suggestions for skin-on-skin:
- Skin-on-skin contact is best during feeding time. You take off your shirt, diaper your infant, and cover your shoulders with a blanket to stay warm. Try to remember to use the restroom before changing into your underwear and to grab a drink of water, your phone, a book, or anything else you want close by in case your child nods off and you want to unwind together.
- Consider bathing your child in company. Before you enter, make sure that towels are available on the floor nearby, and if feasible, ask someone to assist you and your infant in exiting the bath. Use a space heater to add a little more warmth in the bathroom, but place it as far away from the tub as you can.
- If your infant likes to be massaged, using a light hand and coconut oil is wonderful for skin-to-skin contact. Start with your baby’s chest and work your way out to their legs and arms since babies respond most to massage from the center of their bodies out. After a bath, try using a space heater in the bathroom and place old, dark towels under and around your child. Fresh white towels occasionally become stained by the massage oil.
- Dads, moms, and even supervised siblings can bond skin-to-skin. If you’re feeling depressed, anxious, or worried—and what new parent doesn’t? —skin-on-skin contact will cause the natural remedy oxytocin to be released. This is also a fantastic opportunity for tummy time if they are awake!
Tummy time
For full-term infants, the American Academy of Pediatrics advises beginning supervised tummy time in the first week after the umbilical cord stump falls off. Unfortunately, while some babies adore it, it’s not a joyous time for all of them. 52% of Lovevery Instagram followers claimed their baby’s tummy time reaction was, while 48% thought it was more like (in a poll of Lovevery followers). Regardless, you are not by yourself. Tummy time is crucial for developing the muscles and coordination required for rolling over, crawling, walking, reaching, and playing, so don’t give up if your baby doesn’t like it at first.
Some tips for more enjoyable tummy time:
- Gently turn your child onto their stomach, tucking their arms beneath their shoulders.
- To imitate their position in the womb, newborns like to lie on their bellies with their heads tilted to one side. Place several black and white cards in a card holder that is standing.
- Just like in this video of Steph and Ayesha Curry’s infant, Canon offers monochrome photographs on The Play Gym’s card holder.
- Rotate your baby’s head sometimes so that it rests on the other side to prevent flat patches and tense neck muscles.
- As your child gains strength, hold the card holder in front of them so that when they elevate their chin and, eventually, their chest, they can see the pictures.
- Success for newborn newborns is 3 to 5 minutes at a time, spread out over 2 to 3 sessions each day. It’s time for a break if they appear to be growing fatigued or start weeping.
- Keep an eye on your infant while they are lying on a blanket on the counter. Put your hand on their back and lean down to speak to them.
- Place your infant on your chest with their stomachs toward you and speak to them softly in an effort to get them to elevate their heads.
- Place your infant on your thighs with their belly down and softly rub their back.
- Your baby’s neck and back muscles will get stronger if you carry them over your shoulder while holding them upright.
The sound of your voice
Talking to someone who can’t yet talk back is awkward, but study shows that there is a direct correlation between a child’s IQ and the volume of words spoken to them. Your infant is continually taking in the intonation, rhythm, and patterns of your voice during the first few months of life. Although they are unable to understand what you are saying right now, their brain is preparing to learn language.
Some tips for talking to your baby:
- Try the reading position described above. If your baby can see your face as you read, they will be more interested in the book. Additionally, by supporting their hunched, slouched bodies with your legs in this position.
- Take a ‘home tour’. Walk about your home while your baby is awake, preferably facing forward in a wrap or with their head turned to the side in a carrier, and chat about what you see and feel. A common first-year student favorite is taking house visits.
- Simply narrate your day while talking aloud to your infant about what you’re doing together. Talk face-to-face as the time is changing.
- Look them in the eye and react to their cues. Talk back if they begin to croon or vocalize. Communication that involves “serve and return” is a well-researched aspect of a child’s brain development.
- Sing to your child, even if you don’t believe your voice is particularly beautiful; they will enjoy it since it is you. Even more than talking, babies pay attention to song.
- Talk in the slower, higher-pitched, sing-song voice that tends to come naturally when speaking to babies. Babies are pre-programmed to tune into higher tones, and learn more from the stretched-out vowels in “baby talk.”
- Emphasize to your partner, your baby’s grandparents, and other caregivers the value of communicating to your child as their brain develops. The more words your infant hears, the easier it will be for them to subsequently acquire language, so encourage them to discover methods to chat to your baby as well.
Exploration of new sounds
Your kid will probably start to become more interested in a range of noises and patterns around the time of 4 weeks. Instead of the pre-recorded noises produced by electronic toys, expose kids to sounds from real life to help them develop more durable brain networks. Try out different sounds that are loud, quiet, fast, lively, soft, etc. Introduce just one sound at a time. Make small noises in your baby’s range of view when they are awake and the room is quiet: tap on the glass, jingle your keys, or snap your fingers. For you, these common noises are ordinary, but your infant finds them completely novel and consequently fascinating. Even though they won’t fully grasp what you’re saying just yet, try to involve your baby as much as you can by talking to them about what you’re doing and what they’re seeing.
Some sound-exploring ideas to get started:
- Shatter or tear up paper in front of your child.
- Use typical culinary sounds, such as pouring dry spaghetti into a pan or tapping a spoon into a bowl.
- Use a doorknob to open or close the blinds or windows, and press a doorbell.
- Dance and play the music.
Be aware of your baby’s reactions as you would with other types of stimulation. It is time for a break if they are dissatisfied.
How to explore their surroundings (around 8 weeks)
According to studies, placing black and white patterned mittens on your baby’s hands may cause them to become aware of them many weeks earlier than they otherwise would. A crucial step on the way to hand control is hand discovery.
- Black and white patterned mittens are available, or you may make your own by loosely wrapping a piece of black and white fabric over their palm.
- Place your infant on a plain blanket with no other images with sharp contrast in the background.
- While your baby is on their back, side, or doing tummy time, place the black and white mittens on their hands.
- See if their attention shifts to their hands. If not, you can carefully move their hands so they can see you.
Parents who are nursing their babies should try to give their infant vitamin D drops every day by dabbing a drop onto their nipple before feeding or onto the pacifier of their child (Vitamin D is essential for healthy development and sufficient amounts are not found in breast milk).
