When babies are born, their minds are still a work in
progress, and their brains will rapidly grow and develop based on their
experience. That means the first few years are critical for healthy brain
development.
“Parents play a daily role in promoting lifelong health
by focusing on positive ways to nurture brain development, starting in infancy
and extending through the toddler years,” says Dr. James M. Perrin, president
of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
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• Talk to your baby in a responsive way, starting at
birth. Watch how he responds to your face, focuses, and moves in time to your
voice.
• Respond to distress with comfort. Even in infancy, it’s
an important way to build a child’s confidence that the caregiver is there.
• Make eye contact with your child from day one. That
could be during play, tummy time or even during necessary activities like
diaper changes.
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• Reading to your child from infancy stimulates language
and cognitive skills, builds motivation, curiosity and memory and stimulates
language development.
• Babies learn best from people, not screens, and
unstructured play time is more valuable for the developing brain than
electronic media. Through unstructured, unplugged play, children learn to think
creatively, problem solve, and develop reasoning and motor skills.
• Keep a regular schedule of visits to the pediatrician
to ensure your child’s physical, mental, and developmental and behavioral
health is on track.
Article provided by
State Point