A number of scientific studies
have shown the way a baby uses her
senses in the early months of life
is crucial to future development. A
baby, whose senses are stimulated
develop a sharper memory,
inquisitiveness and a better
concentration. Besides, babies who
are stimulated attain developmental
milestones earlier have superior
muscle coordination, and a safer and
sounder personality.
Here a few effective tips that
you will find particularly useful to
stimulate your newborn's senses and
development, right from the
beginning.
1. Make your baby touch fabrics
of different textures, e.g., smooth,
rough, cushiony. This would help
develop her sense of touch.
2. Hold up bright colored blocks
or other colorful objects 10 to 12
inches away from your baby's eyes.
When she focuses, try moving it left
and right, up and down and then in
circles. Doing so will improve her
sight.
3. Provide your baby
high-contrast toys such as mobiles
with black-and-white or primary
color patterns, or hang them in the
crib. These would help stimulate the
parts of the brain controlling
vision.
4. Play “Pat-a-Cake” while you
hold your baby and gently move her
hands.
5. Sing to your baby. Change the
pitch of your voice from high to
low. Doing so will help hold her
attention. Babies generally respond
well to mom’s singing and will often
help her to settle.
6. Talk to your baby whenever you
are with her; describe her all that
you are doing to her: bathing,
changing, feeding. “Are you enjoying
your bath? Do you like your new
soap? Here comes a new diaper for
you.” This type of descriptive
talking will not only liked by your
baby but is also the base of
communication between the two of
you. The more you talk to your baby
the more she is able to learn.
7. Encourage your baby to imitate
you. Try sticking out your tongue.
Most of the babies, when they are a
couple of weeks old, imitate
sticking out the tongue after you
did so 2-3 times before them.
8. Get a crib mobile and hang it
on your baby’s crib. When your baby
is quiet and awake, she will gaze at
it. This will help arouse her
interest in the world outside the
crib.
9. Get a wind chime and hang it
where your baby can gaze at it, move
and hear the pleasant music it
plays. Doing so will stimulate her
sense of seeing and hearing and she
will learn to correlate a pleasant
sight with a pleasant sound.
10. Shake a rattle before your
baby. Shake it first on left side
then on right. Allow your baby time
to recognize that the rattle is
producing the sound. This activity
will also help your baby correlate
sound with sight.
There are many important
milestones that must be achieved in
the first month. Infants experience
a wealth of developmental and
cognitive achievements in their
first month of life. Stimulate your
newborn’s sense is also part of this
important milestones.
