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Seeing
*Take your baby from a dark room to a light room. This will make the light reflex stronger. Try to do this as many times a day as possible.
*Babies need to focus on black and white patterns. Put the black and white pictures around your baby’s environment and change them so they do not get bored. Put a black and white picture in front of your baby, let them focus, and then slowly move the picture from side to side and up & down. Also go through the black and white cards showing your baby the cards and saying what is on the card. *Run Black and White Pictures OFF
*Once your baby starts focusing well add colorful objects to your baby’s environment.
*Show and read the WORD Books to your baby.
*Read books with great pictures to your baby.
Hearing
*Say your babies name and talk to them all the time! Tell your baby what you are doing. (Example: Mommy is putting on your blue shirt.)
*Say LULLABIES to your baby everyday as you rock or sway with them.
*Take your baby for walks around the house or in the yard, hold them up and tell your baby what they are seeing. Do this 2-3 times a day.
Touch
*Massage your baby very gently.
*Gently run your thumbnail along the sole of your baby’s feet. Start from the heel and go towards the toes.
*Tickle your baby, give your baby lots of hugs and kisses, dry your baby with a soft towel, brush your babies hair with a soft brush, and take a soft baby brush and brush all over their body.
Language
*Talk to your baby all the time, explaining to them what you are doing.
*Ask your baby questions. Are you hungry? Are you tired? Do you like this?
*Point out everything in your baby’s environment. This is your nose. Look at the beautiful sky. You are kicking your feet.
*Say Nursery Rhymes to your baby, pause at words and let your baby help fill in the words.
*Have your baby point to what the need using the Communicating Card.
*Your baby will say two syllable words. (Example: ma-ma, da-da, or ba-ba.) Encourage them to keep talking.
*Your baby will say words. (Example: mom, dad, and dog.)
*Your baby will say two words together.
*The more you talk to them and let them talk to you, the faster they will talk!
Motor Skills
*Your baby should spend as much time on their stomach as they can. Talk to them getting them to move and use their limbs. Do this as often as possible.
*Carry your baby around, supporting their back and neck. Put on hand underneath your baby and the other supporting their back and neck and simply carry them around the room moving them gently through the air.
*When your baby has good neck control, lay on your back, support your baby under their arms and around their body as the baby is looking at you, and raise your baby up in the air talking to them.
*As your baby gets stronger and is moving more on the floor, put objects around them that they will want to investigate.
*Rock your baby in a rocking chair.
Reflexes
*Have your baby grab your fingers by placing your finger in your baby’s palm.
*Put a soft toy in your baby’s hands and let them grasp it.
*Put objects in front of your baby and ask them to pick up an object.
*Have your baby pick up small pieces of food such as cereal or cut up bananas.
*Have your baby pour rice out. Put down a table cloth and place them on it. Show your baby how to scoop up rice from a pile and pour it out.
*Have your baby finger paint. Put them in a high chair and put finger paint on a sheet of paper and let them paint.
Stages to Walking
*At birth your baby move their body and limbs. They need to do this as often as possible.
*Creeping- Your baby is on their stomach and they scoot slowly around.
*Babies need a lot of floor time to move their limbs and creep.
*Crawling- On their hands and knees your baby moves across the floor. They are using both arms and legs. They should be using cross-pattern movements.
***Creeping and crawling are very important for a baby’s brain development. In these stages the two brain hemispheres are learning to work together.
*Walking-
*Your baby will pull themselves up.
*Your baby will pull themselves up and walk around objects such as tables.
*Your baby will take a few steps and balance with their arms.
*Your baby will walk!
*Once children start walking, LET THEM WALK. This is how they discover their world!
*Taste and Smell
*As your baby is trying new foods describe the taste to them. Is it sweet, sour, salty, etc...?
*Let your baby try new foods.
*Have your baby smell the baby powder, the flowers, perfume, mint, etc…
*Try to expose them to as many scents as you can.
There are five pathways to the brain: seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smell you need to stimulate them all as much as possible!
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