Stimulating Your Infant's Development
From birth onward, the main determinant of an infant's development is the amount of positive time he spends with his parents. Think in terms of 4 basic interactions:
- First: Hold your baby as much as possible. Touching, cuddling, eye contact and affection are always good for your baby. You can't hold a child too much.
- Second: Talk to your baby. Put a name on everything your child touches or does. Babies enjoy being talked to and sung to from birth onward. Babies must first receive language before they are able to express language. You don't need a script writer to share your thoughts with your baby. Just describe the world around you as you see it.
- Third: Play with your baby. If that doesn't come naturally for you, try to lighten up. Follow your baby's leads.
- Fourth: Read to your baby. Even six-month-olds enjoy looking at pictures in a book. Cut out interesting photos from magazines and put them in a special scrapbook for your baby. Also, look at the family photo album. Move on to nursery rhymes.
- Finally: Reading to your child correlates better with later school success than anything else you can do. Never let the sun set without having read at least 1 book to your child.
If you have any questions about your child's development, consult your healthcare provider.
Disclaimer: This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. It is provided for educational purposes only. You assume full responsibility for how you choose to use this information.
Author and Senior Reviewer: Barton D. Schmitt, M.D. FAAP
Last Review: 6/1/2008
Last Revised: 7/1/2005
Copyright 1994-2008 Barton Schmitt, M.D. Parent Advice Messages.
