BABY TALK

Keeping fretting babies occupied with an iPad might actually lead to speech delays, reports a preliminary study out of Toronto.

Another study found more than one-third of parents report their child using a smartphone or other digital device before their first birthday.

The very things parents are trying to foster through tablets and apps – focus, communication, a large vocabulary – are being impeded. Screen time is no substitute for one-on-one interaction that nurtures a baby’s development and learning, says therapist Dr. Catherine Steiner-Adair.

Healthy neurological development takes place through multi-sensory engagement including play, building, dancing, skipping, reading, colouring and more.

For children under two, focus on unstructured play and human interaction, suggests Healthychildren.org.

“The opportunity to think creatively, problem solve and develop reasoning and motor skills is more valuable for the developing brain than passive media intake.”