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Did you know that all those hugs and cuddles that you give your baby are actually helping to make her smarter?
Studies show that the love and nurturing we give our infants does more than create a strong bond between parent and child. Loving our babies actually helps their brain develop.
Cindy Carson of the child advocacy group First Call explains that when a baby is born he has billions of brain cells, and that many of these brain cells are not connected. "They only get connected through experience, says Carson, "so when you talk to your baby, cuddle it, and handle it, these experiences will start to make connections. If they have a variety of experiences and positive ones, then they have many more options as they grown older."
Unfortunately, lack of proper stimulation has the opposite effect says Carson. "If they have negative experiences, if they are abused or neglected or left in front of a TV and get no stimulation, then their brains can actually be smaller then other children their own age."
Experts feel that infants and children who are raised in a healthy, loving environment for the first three years of their life are in a sense immunized against many of the stresses and strains that they'll come across later in life. "The impact we can have on those first 3 years is critical to every type of development; cognitive, emotional, and physical development", says Carson. "All of these things are in a package and if we don1t take care of them in the first three years there will be problems down the line."
So take the time now to love and nurture your baby. Think of it as insurance for today, tomorrow and for years to come.
Adapted from The Parent Report Radio Show. Any advice or information contained herein should never be a substitute for professional and/or medical advice, diagnosis and treatment. For more information please review Terms of Service.
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