Smart start

Find out what you can do to turbo-charge your baby’s early brain development.

Every parent wants to help their baby develop into a talented little person and help them reach their full potential in life! While your baby has been born with a pre-determined set of genetics, her brain is very immature at birth which means that she is open to every growth opportunity that comes her way. The experiences you offer your baby determine how her genes are expressed, so now is the time to make sure her early experiences are optimised for healthy brain development.

Here’s how it works: After birth, your baby’s brain undergoes a process of wiring and rewiring. Her brain will recognise what her most frequent experiences are, then choose what to keep and what to delete. For instance, the more eye contact and interaction your baby receives, the more her brain will further her social skills. The more languages she hears, the more her brain will register language and develop these pathways. Your baby’s brain is open to anything, much like a computer being formatted with new software. If her brain is deprived of different kinds of experiences, it will lose its natural capacity to learn those things as well as others. In other words, you’ll want to offer your baby a varied set of experiences.

What are the experiences that will ensure optimal brain development? Maintaining good health and nutrition, bonding and engaging in play. These are the foundations for emotional, intellectual, social and physical development.

PRIME YOUR CHILD TO LEARN

One of the keys to successful learning experiences is that your baby should be in an alert and calm state when playing or interacting. To get to the point where she is ready to absorb the experience fully, she needs to be able to regulate her level of alertness through her senses.

Have you ever noticed that you twirl your hair or play with your jewellery when you’re focusing on something? You use your senses of touch and movement to keep your arousal levels up. Your baby needs to do the same.

Children have different preferences with regards to their senses. As a parent, it’s wise to tune in to these. If your baby likes quiet, serene surroundings and in your enthusiasm you are loud and intense, she will withdraw into her shell for protection and may even express discomfort through tears. On the other hand, if she needs a lot of sensory input to become aware of what is happening around her, she’ll be unresponsive to learning if you use a soft voice and provide an environment with few sensory stimulants, such as a room full of neutral colours.

SPOT THE SIGNS

How can you tell if your baby needs more or less stimulation in her optimal learning environment? Your baby will show you clearly if you know what to look for. You’ll also be able to improve the environment for your child.

YOUR BABY’S ALERTNESS MAY BE TOO LOW IF SHE:

■ Rubs her eyes

■ Yawns

■ Has a slouched posture

■ Makes little eye contact

YOUR BABY’S ALERTNESS MAY BE TOO HIGH IF SHE:

■ Is extremely active

■ Makes quick movements

■ Breathes quickly and shallowly

■ Makes loud noises

TIPS FOR CHANGING LEVELS OF ALERTNESS

■ JUMP The hard work this requires creates the right level of alertness, regardless of whether your baby is feeling lethargic or overexcited.

■ DANCE The wild, free expression of dance will help increase alertness in a lethargic child, while repetitive, simple dance steps will bring an over-excited child back to an optimal state for learning.

■ LISTEN TO MUSIC Hard rock has a loud bass and uneven beat that increases alertness, while classical music (especially Baroque) provides an even, slow tempo that reduces excitability.

■ ADJUST THE ENVIRONMENT If your child is feeling overwhelmed, dim the lights and shut out noise if possible. If she needs stimulation to become alert, add colour, sound and light.

■ EAT If your baby is hyperactive, sucking a thick drink through a straw will help her focus. Chewing crunchy and sour food – such as cucumbers, raisins, popcorn and cheese – increases alertness.

■ RESPECT YOUR CHILD’S LIMITS Maintain a state of calm by giving her breaks. Notice what catches her attention and use this as a guide to where her talents and interests may lie and what gives her pleasure. These are the types of activities her brain will register as important.

■ BATH YOUR BABY A cool bath will wake her if she’s sleepy, and a warm one will calm her if she’s in a wilder state.

FOUNDATIONS FOR LEARNING

The roots that anchor and feed your child’s brain development are her senses – the five we all know, plus movement. The senses and motor skills boost each other. Your baby needs opportunities to explore all these areas to gain an understanding of her world. It’s crucial for her to be in control of her sensory and motor experiences, to ensure that she’s not overwhelmed. Always start small, and gradually build up the amount of sensory stimulation she receives.

SENSORY FUN

■ WASHER SHAKE UP Pop your child on top of the washing machine in a non-skid baby carrier, or sit her on top of it and supervise for safety. This stimulates her movement sense receptors.

■ FRUIT SHOOT Pack a tub full of round fruit, such as apples, oranges and grapefruit. Place a paper bag with the opening facing your seated child. Let her roll the fruit into the bag and encourage her to smell them. Then ask her to describe the colour and feel of each fruit.

■ TORTOISE SHELL Make a pretend house out of a large cardboard box. Decorate it and create a textured pathway to her “house”. Include pillows, sheep skin, towelling, bubble wrap, egg crates, carpets, corduroy and satin. Let your child roll, crawl, jump or tiptoe along the path to her house. It doesn’t take money or sophistication to turbocharge your baby’s brain. It takes love, care, openness to play, opportunity for variety, and investment of quality time. ●

It doesn’t take money or sophistication to turbo-charge your baby’s brain. It takes love, care, openness to play, opportunity for variety, and investment of quality time.