Not too much too soon
How to stimulate your newborn? You really don’t need anything special to keep your baby occupied in the early days – just your loving arms and support.
The newborn stage is an overwhelming one, and you may feel pressure to “do stuff” with your new little bundle from day one.
This seems like an impossible task when you are adjusting to your baby – whether it is your first or fifth.
The first few weeks of your baby’s life is a time of bonding and nurturing, with all other stimulation being of secondary importance. This is the time to just be with your baby. There is no spoiling a newborn, and there is no such thing as holding her for too long, cuddling too much at night instead of forcing her to sleep on her own or being too involved in her days. Spend time chatting to your baby, being together and enjoying each other’s company during these early weeks.
Think of stimulating your newborn as a part of your daily routine in order to really integrate your baby’s sensory systems, so that the pressure to do things over and above just loving and enjoying your child is kept to a minimum.
The time you have to stimulate your baby – where she is calm and alert – is often very short and so is usually done while feeding
and changing nappies. So use these tasks to play and engage with your baby. Don’t push your baby to stay awake to play, as she will become irritable, overstimulated and difficult to settle. Development really begins with the sensory systems. It’s important to look at, and understand, these systems and how you can stimulate them.
THE MOVEMENT SYSTEM
This system is responsible for postural control, eye movements, balance and emotional well-being. Have you noticed that when your baby cries, your first response is to try to soothe her by holding her and rocking her? This repetitive, rhythmical movement is calming and organising, and we instinctively know this.
Slow, gentle movements help to settle babies and make them feel secure. Babywearing is quite popular, as many parents have found that their babies love being close to them and experiencing gentle movement as they walk about and carry on with day-to-day activities (see our article on this on page 81).
More stimulating movement is bouncing your baby on your lap playing “horsie horsie” or dancing to music. These fun activities should bring joy to your baby. If you notice she’s showing fear or anxiety, stop and give your baby a hug or massage to reorganise her sensory systems and help her to feel secure again.
THE TOUCH SYSTEM
The skin provides enormous amounts of information to your baby’s brain and body about where she is in the world, what is touching her and what she is touching.
It is also important in understanding things like heat, cold and pain.
Let your baby experience different textures while playing. Keep a sensory tub of household items with different textures that you can bring out and give to your baby to feel when she is calm and alert.
You can also use similar items in the bath. Include things like loofas, bubble wrap, ribbons, a scouring brush, baby’s sock (there is always one missing), cotton wool and feathers. Let your baby lie on your legs, and rub the items over her hands and feet – all touch should be calm, gentle and soft. While you’re playing, talk to your baby about the textures by saying, “This sponge feels rough, this ribbon is smooth.” Follow your baby’s lead to see if she is enjoying the input, and keep an eye out for new and interesting textures.
THE BODY AWARENESS SYSTEM
Your baby does not yet understand how her body moves, where it begins or ends – or even that her hands belong to her. By providing deep pressure input, you are teaching her about her body and its various parts, which is essential later on in development, and you’re also helping her feel calm and secure. During the newborn stage, deep pressure input is given through massaging or swaddling your baby. These provide additional comfort and security, and even help with her sleeping.
As your baby becomes more mobile, let her kick and push against your tummy or hands while you change her, or let her lie on your legs with her feet on your tummy while you chat and relax.
THE HEARING SYSTEM AND LANGUAGE
Even at this young age, babies understand and follow language and emotional signs. Chat to your baby no matter what the content – let her know what you are doing as you change her nappy or run her bath. This allows her language to develop, and by naming body parts, for example, you also help enhance her body concept. Tell your baby about your day to day activities as you do them.
Pull faces and make sounds for baby to copy, stimulating early communication. The more you talk, the more your baby is exposed to language, which sets her up for solid language development later in life.
Your baby also does not need to stay in her room all day, and will benefit from being out and about with you while you cook or walk in the garden. This helps your baby integrate the world around her. As your baby grows and has more calm alert time in her day, you can dance to music to introduce movement and rhythm. Using lullabies or classical music may even help baby settle and fall sleep.
At the end of the day, the essence of newborn stimulation is to love, bond and nurture. Allow your play to become part of your day, and take time to just be with your baby. The newborn days fly by, and this is a special time to treasure. ●
LET YOUR BABY EXPERIENCE DIFFERENT TEXTURES WHILE PLAYING.