What every child need to thrive
You don't have to be a child development expert to give your baby a great start in life. Recent research confirms what we've known all along: Love, attention, and basic care are all your baby really needs and wants. To help your baby reach his full potential, follow these eight simple steps.
Show your love
Children need love. Your emotional caring and support give your child a secure base from which to explore the world. This isn't just touchy-feely advice. Hard scientific evidence shows that love, attention, and affection in the first years of life have a direct and measurable impact on a child's physical, mental, and emotional growth. Love and touch actually cause your child's brain to grow, according to Marian Diamond, a neuroscientist at the University of California, Berkeley, and author of Magic Trees of the Mind: How to Nurture Your Child's Intelligence, Creativity, and Healthy Emotions From Birth Through Adolescence.
How do you show your love? Hug, touch, smile, encourage, listen to, and play with your little one whenever you can. It's also important to answer his cries immediately, especially in the first year, when experts say it's impossible to spoil a child. In fact, responding to your baby when he's upset (as well as when he's happy) helps you build trust and a strong emotional bond, according to Zero to Three, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of infants, toddlers, and families.
Care for your child's basic needs
Your baby needs all the good health and energy he can muster for learning and growing, so help him out by covering his basic needs. Take him in for regular well-baby checkups and keep his immunizations up to date.
Sleep is anything but wasted time for your baby, so help him get plenty of shut eye. During REM (rapid eye movement) sleep your baby's brain cells are making important connections. These synapses, as they're called, are the pathways that enable all learning, movement, and thought. They are the keys to your baby understanding all he is seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, and smelling as he explores the world.
For proper physical and mental development, make sure his diet is adequate in protein, vitamins and minerals and neither too low nor too high in calories. (If you're worried about your baby's sleeping or eating patterns, talk to your doctor.)
Tend to your baby's physical comfort promptly. Be sensitive to the fact that he's too warm or that his diaper is wet. You're a team, and one of your jobs is to take care of the basics so he can get on with his challenging tasks!
Talk to your child
Research shows that children whose parents spoke to them extensively as babies have significantly higher IQs and richer vocabularies than kids who didn't receive much verbal stimulation. You can start as early as during your pregnancy, so your baby gets used to the sound of your voice (it's a great way to start the bonding process, too).
Once your child is born, talk to him as you diaper, feed, or bathe him. He'll respond better if he knows the words are directed at him, so try to look at him while you're speaking. Don't worry about words of wisdom. Just describe what you're doing: "Mommy is putting warm water in the tub so she can clean you up." Try to avoid baby talk, though. Once in a while it's okay, but your baby can develop good language skills only if you speak to him correctly.
Read to your child
Next to talking, reading out loud is one of the most important things you can do to help build your child's vocabulary, stimulate his imagination, and improve his language skills. It also gives you an opportunity to cuddle and socialize.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends reading aloud daily to your child starting at age 6 months, about the time when he'll really begin to enjoy looking at books with you. But Jim Trelease, a reading expert and author of The Read-Aloud Handbook, says even newborns enjoy listening to a story. Make a point of learning about reading to your child.
Stimulate all his senses
For your child to learn about people, places, and things, he needs to be exposed to them. Every new interaction gives him information about the world and his place in it. Studies show that children who grow up in an enriched environment where they are presented with new experiences that engage their senses have larger, more active brains than those who grow up without adequate sensory stimulation.
Of course, children can become overstimulated; you don't want to bombard your child 24 hours a day or try to engage all his senses at once. When he's interested in playing, though, provide a variety of toys and other objects. Choose things with different shapes, textures, colors, sounds, and weights. Learn about the effect of music on your child's development at different ages, and sing the lyrics to your favorite lullabies. Play interactive games such as peek-a-boo and pattycake, go on walks and shopping trips together, and let your baby meet new people. Even your simplest daily activities will stimulate your baby's brain development.
It's also important to give your child room to roam. To develop strong muscles, good balance, and coordination, he needs plenty of space to crawl, cruise, and eventually walk. He'll also benefit from safe spaces where he can explore his surroundings without hearing "No" or "Don't touch." The easiest way to do this is to childproof your home (or at least the common areas). Keep dangerous objects out of your baby's reach and safe ones accessible. For instance, in the kitchen, put childproof locks on all the cabinets except one. Fill that with plastic bowls, measuring cups, wooden spoons, and pots and pans that your baby can play with safely.
Encourage new challenges
It's important not to frustrate your child with toys and activities that are way beyond his abilities, but a little struggling goes a long way toward self-improvement. When an activity doesn't come easily to your baby, he has to figure out a new way to accomplish the task. That type of problem-solving is the stuff better brains are made of. If he's attempting to open a box, for example, resist the urge to help him. Let him try first. If he continues to struggle, show him how it's done, but then give him back a closed box so he can make another attempt on his own.
Take care of yourself
Parents who are depressed or upset are often unable to respond swiftly and sensitively to their child's needs. One study, published in the journal Child Development and Psychopathology, found that children whose mothers were chronically and clinically depressed had abnormal patterns of brain activity, suggesting that the children also suffered from depression. Seek advice about coping with postpartum depression, and talk with your caregiver any time you think you may be struggling with depression.
If you're feeling drained, find ways to divide the household and parenting responsibilities with your partner. If you're a single parent, surround yourself with people who can offer you help and support. And don't forget to treat yourself to some time alone once in a while. Being a parent especially an involved and active one is tiring, and you need time to re-energize.
Find good childcare
If you work and aren't able to care for your baby during the day (or need a babysitter regularly), a quality childcare provider is essential to your baby's healthy development. You'll want to find someone who can do all the things mentioned above when you're not around. Whether your childcare provider is a nanny, a relative, or a daycare worker, she should be experienced, caring, and reputable, with a genuine love for children and the energy to help your baby thrive.
Show your love
Children need love. Your emotional caring and support give your child a secure base from which to explore the world. This isn't just touchy-feely advice. Hard scientific evidence shows that love, attention, and affection in the first years of life have a direct and measurable impact on a child's physical, mental, and emotional growth. Love and touch actually cause your child's brain to grow, according to Marian Diamond, a neuroscientist at the University of California, Berkeley, and author of Magic Trees of the Mind: How to Nurture Your Child's Intelligence, Creativity, and Healthy Emotions From Birth Through Adolescence.
How do you show your love? Hug, touch, smile, encourage, listen to, and play with your little one whenever you can. It's also important to answer his cries immediately, especially in the first year, when experts say it's impossible to spoil a child. In fact, responding to your baby when he's upset (as well as when he's happy) helps you build trust and a strong emotional bond, according to Zero to Three, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of infants, toddlers, and families.
Care for your child's basic needs
Your baby needs all the good health and energy he can muster for learning and growing, so help him out by covering his basic needs. Take him in for regular well-baby checkups and keep his immunizations up to date.
Sleep is anything but wasted time for your baby, so help him get plenty of shut eye. During REM (rapid eye movement) sleep your baby's brain cells are making important connections. These synapses, as they're called, are the pathways that enable all learning, movement, and thought. They are the keys to your baby understanding all he is seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, and smelling as he explores the world.
For proper physical and mental development, make sure his diet is adequate in protein, vitamins and minerals and neither too low nor too high in calories. (If you're worried about your baby's sleeping or eating patterns, talk to your doctor.)
Tend to your baby's physical comfort promptly. Be sensitive to the fact that he's too warm or that his diaper is wet. You're a team, and one of your jobs is to take care of the basics so he can get on with his challenging tasks!
Talk to your child
Research shows that children whose parents spoke to them extensively as babies have significantly higher IQs and richer vocabularies than kids who didn't receive much verbal stimulation. You can start as early as during your pregnancy, so your baby gets used to the sound of your voice (it's a great way to start the bonding process, too).
Once your child is born, talk to him as you diaper, feed, or bathe him. He'll respond better if he knows the words are directed at him, so try to look at him while you're speaking. Don't worry about words of wisdom. Just describe what you're doing: "Mommy is putting warm water in the tub so she can clean you up." Try to avoid baby talk, though. Once in a while it's okay, but your baby can develop good language skills only if you speak to him correctly.
Read to your child
Next to talking, reading out loud is one of the most important things you can do to help build your child's vocabulary, stimulate his imagination, and improve his language skills. It also gives you an opportunity to cuddle and socialize.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends reading aloud daily to your child starting at age 6 months, about the time when he'll really begin to enjoy looking at books with you. But Jim Trelease, a reading expert and author of The Read-Aloud Handbook, says even newborns enjoy listening to a story. Make a point of learning about reading to your child.
Stimulate all his senses
For your child to learn about people, places, and things, he needs to be exposed to them. Every new interaction gives him information about the world and his place in it. Studies show that children who grow up in an enriched environment where they are presented with new experiences that engage their senses have larger, more active brains than those who grow up without adequate sensory stimulation.
Of course, children can become overstimulated; you don't want to bombard your child 24 hours a day or try to engage all his senses at once. When he's interested in playing, though, provide a variety of toys and other objects. Choose things with different shapes, textures, colors, sounds, and weights. Learn about the effect of music on your child's development at different ages, and sing the lyrics to your favorite lullabies. Play interactive games such as peek-a-boo and pattycake, go on walks and shopping trips together, and let your baby meet new people. Even your simplest daily activities will stimulate your baby's brain development.
It's also important to give your child room to roam. To develop strong muscles, good balance, and coordination, he needs plenty of space to crawl, cruise, and eventually walk. He'll also benefit from safe spaces where he can explore his surroundings without hearing "No" or "Don't touch." The easiest way to do this is to childproof your home (or at least the common areas). Keep dangerous objects out of your baby's reach and safe ones accessible. For instance, in the kitchen, put childproof locks on all the cabinets except one. Fill that with plastic bowls, measuring cups, wooden spoons, and pots and pans that your baby can play with safely.
Encourage new challenges
It's important not to frustrate your child with toys and activities that are way beyond his abilities, but a little struggling goes a long way toward self-improvement. When an activity doesn't come easily to your baby, he has to figure out a new way to accomplish the task. That type of problem-solving is the stuff better brains are made of. If he's attempting to open a box, for example, resist the urge to help him. Let him try first. If he continues to struggle, show him how it's done, but then give him back a closed box so he can make another attempt on his own.
Take care of yourself
Parents who are depressed or upset are often unable to respond swiftly and sensitively to their child's needs. One study, published in the journal Child Development and Psychopathology, found that children whose mothers were chronically and clinically depressed had abnormal patterns of brain activity, suggesting that the children also suffered from depression. Seek advice about coping with postpartum depression, and talk with your caregiver any time you think you may be struggling with depression.
If you're feeling drained, find ways to divide the household and parenting responsibilities with your partner. If you're a single parent, surround yourself with people who can offer you help and support. And don't forget to treat yourself to some time alone once in a while. Being a parent especially an involved and active one is tiring, and you need time to re-energize.
Find good childcare
If you work and aren't able to care for your baby during the day (or need a babysitter regularly), a quality childcare provider is essential to your baby's healthy development. You'll want to find someone who can do all the things mentioned above when you're not around. Whether your childcare provider is a nanny, a relative, or a daycare worker, she should be experienced, caring, and reputable, with a genuine love for children and the energy to help your baby thrive.
posted by Aura at 10:48 AM
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