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Babies are wired to start learning as soon as they are born. They are nature’s perfect learning machines. They absorb information every waking second through all their five senses. Babies want to see, hear, touch smell and even taste anything and everything around them. However, the question is whether as parents we will help him in his journey to discovery or unwittingly get in the way!
Our brain as a muscle
Our brain is a muscle and like any muscle of our body grows stronger by use. It has been proved by research that the brain development in babies is a product of his environment. A baby that gets the right ‘fodder’ for his senses will keep his brain active and in use. The more the brain is used, the more it grows and the more capable the baby becomes. It's as simple as that.
So our goal as parents should be to provide an environment with more purposeful stimulation rather than by accident. Here are 5 proven ways to improve brain development in newborns by providing the right stimulation.
Read with your baby
The emphasis here is on reading ‘with’ and not ‘to’ the child. Sit with your baby in your lap and read a visually engaging book with bright colours and. Place your finger on various objects as you talk about them. Talk in various voices and varying inflections. Use onomatopoeia or ‘sound words’ like ‘woosh!’ or ‘Clang - clang!’. Your child is exploring the world through visual and auditory stimulation like this. Hearing your enthusiastic voice and bright pictures will get your baby’s brain
whirling!
After a while, you may feel that your child is closing his eyes or has an unfocused look. Don’t worry. Take a break. Sometimes when the outside world has too much stimulus, the brain may feel tired and take a little break. Wait for a few minutes. When he is back, welcome him happily and continue.
Provide lots of visual stimulation
A newborn is functionally blind. He is only able to see 8 to 12 inches away, and his vision is fuzzy. He sees mostly shapes and shades - whether something is big, small, bright, or dark. So if your nursery is in pretty pastel colours, it is not going to help stimulate your baby.
Decorate the nursery in bright colours and bold patterns. Use bright baby stimulation props if your nursery is already painted with pastel colours, to give your baby enough visual stimulation. Use black and white visuals around your baby’s crib, on the crib hanging or anywhere on his line of sight to draw his attention. Change these after a few days to images which include the colour ‘red’ as it is the most visually stimulating colour. If possible change images after every few days to give your child more points of interest. By the time your child is over 4 months of age, you can move towards bright colourful images.
Babies love faces. Mirrors are a great way to help babies explore and practice visual tracking There are small mirrors made for baby to play with and even toys that have a mirror built-in. Make sure the mirror is unbreakable before giving it to the baby.
Play with various textures
Touch is one of the best-developed senses at birth. Newborns are able to distinguish among different temperatures, textures and shapes right away. Develop your babies sense of touch using various textures. There are various books and toys available that provide a safe way for your baby to feel textures. Not just his fingertips, have the skin on her legs or even arms feel these textures.
Give lots of tummy time
A baby on his back is like an overturned turtle. It is impossible for him to move. The best thing you can do for your baby is to create a safe floor environment where he can move on his belly. It will give him the opportunity to move his arms and legs and learn how to move forward. It will help him achieve the stage of crawling forward. To encourage crawling after a few weeks you can sit right in front of the child and encourage him to come towards you.
Hugs & Cuddles
Cuddling is very important. Cuddling makes your baby feel warm and secure so hold your baby often. Swaddling is also good as it re-creates the confined feeling of the womb. Also, give your baby a gentle massage with baby oil or lotion. It is this warm touch that makes a baby feel calm and loved. Only in a peaceful and safe environment where he is emotionally stable will the baby positively respond to all the stimuli and grow into a well-adjusted and empathetic child.
At the end of the day, brains respond to novelties better than to anything else. So, ensure that you have a different collection of things to interest your baby. And just watch him do the magic!
