Brain Development

The first three years of life are a period of incredible growth in all areas of a baby's development. But by age 3, his brain has grown dramatically by producing billions of cells and hundreds of trillions of connections, or synapses, between these cells.

While we know that the development of a young child's brain takes years to complete, we also know there are many things parents and caregivers can do to help children get off to a good start and establish healthy patterns for life-long learning.

Brain development is "activity-dependent," meaning that the electrical activity in every circuit: SENSORY, MOTOR, EMOTIONAL, COGNITIVE - shapes the way that circuit gets put together. Like computer circuits, neural circuits process information through the flow of electricity. Unlike computer circuits, however, the circuits in our brains are not fixed structures. Every experience,whether it is seeing one's first rainbow, riding a bicycle, reading a book, sharing a joke - excites certain neural circuits and leaves others inactive. Those that are routinely turned on over time will be strengthened, while those that are rarely excited may be dropped away. The elimination of unused neural circuits, also referred to as "pruning," may sound harsh, but it is generally a good thing. It streamlines children's neural processing, making the remaining circuits work more quickly and efficiently. 


Infants prefer human stimuli (your face, voice, touch, and even smell) over everything else.  Activities for stimulating infant brain development are simple at this stage. The best ways to nurture infant development simply require your time and interaction. Here are some activities that have been suggested by leading experts to get you started:

• Look into your newborn baby's eyes. Infants begin to recognize faces very early! Each time he stares at you, he's developing his memory.
• Have your baby look at himself in a non-breakable mirror. At first, he may wonder who that other baby is, but eventually, he will recognize that he can make that baby move!
• Encourage communication. Whenever your baby babbles or coos, repeat the sound he makes and then pause to give him the chance to respond. This shows him that what he's saying is important to you and encourages communication.
• Stroke your baby's knuckles to encourage him to open his fingers. Then gently place a rattle or toy in his palm. In the beginning, he won't be able to hold it for long, but the experience will let him practice for later play.
• Talk to your baby, but leave short pauses where your baby would speak. Soon he'll catch on to the idea of conversation and start cooing in response.
• Sing songs. Play music. Say nursery rhymes. It is thought that if your child is exposed to these things early in life, it lays many foundations for academics.
• Tickle his toes -- and everything else. Laughter is the first step in developing a sense of humor. Playing games like "Patty Cake", or "I'm Gonna Get You!" teaches your child to anticipate events.
• Go ahead and let loose with the baby talk (also known as "motherese"). Your cooing and high-pitched baby talk really grabs your baby's attention. This type of special talk is linked to increased language development.
• Change your baby's positions frequently. When an infant learns to play in a new position (such as on his side), his motor skills are challenged in different ways and develop more thoroughly.
• Use your baby's name when talking to him. Studies show that babies can recognize their own name by 4 1/2 months if it is used often.
• Make the most of diaper time. Use these moments to teach body parts or pieces of clothing, and to sing nursery rhymes. Narrate to help your baby learn to anticipate routines.
• Use feeding time (breastfeeding or bottle feeding) as a learning time. It is a great time to bond with your infant by singing, talking, or simply stroking that wonderful baby hair.
• Turn off the TV and other constant background noises. Your baby's brain needs one-on-one interaction without distraction.
• Explore new places. Take your baby on walks in a front carrier, sling, or stroller, and talk about what you see:  "That's a big truck!" or "Look at the pretty flower!" or "Did you hear that ambulance?."  This will encourage vocabulary development.
• Surprise him. Do the unexpected every now and then by gently blowing on his face, arms, or tummy. Make a pattern with your breaths and watch him react and anticipate.
• Stimulate his senses. Walk around the house with your baby in your arms and...touch his hand to the cool window, stop to smell supper cooking, listen to the birds, look at everything, and talk about everything as you go.
• Incorporate infant massage into your routine. A gentle massage while telling him what you are doing stimulates infant brain development.
• Read books! Read books! Read books! Scientists have found that babies as young as 8 months can learn to recognize the sequence of words in a story when it's read 2 or 3 times in a row. This is believed to help them learn language.
• When you reach the end of a book...read it again! Each time you re-read something, his memory skills are sharpened and he learns to predict what's next.
• Teach your baby sign language. Baby signing is linked with earlier development of non-verbal and verbal communication. This is a terrific way to give a boost to infant brain development.
• Give your baby time alone. He needs some down-time to learn to amuse himself and process all of the new information.

Remember, both nature and nurture will influence your baby's future. Optimal infant brain development will occur when a newborn's loved ones provide loving interaction.



Until Next Time,
Salima Dhamani M.S., CCC-SLP