Your baby’s development starts before they are even born. Their neurological system begins to form in the first few weeks of gestation in the womb and is in place before the second month of your pregnancy, which is why some doctors and midwives recommend reading and talking to your baby in order to help stimulate their development.
When they are born, your baby will develop at their own pace however there are some ways in which you can further help to aid your baby’s development, from eating habits to their speech and language skills. With that in mind, here are 3 ways you can help aid your baby’s development.
Give Plenty Of Tummy Time
Baby’s need to build up their body strength in order to develop and giving your baby plenty of tummy time from around 3 months of age can help your baby to develop a strong body, head and neck. Start by placing your baby on your chest or lap, or even by holding your baby in your arms. Then, start by placing them on a soft mat or blanket on the floor so that they can get used to the sensation and holding their head and neck up. You could even add some visually stimulating fabrics, toys or noises to make it more interesting for them. Generally speaking, tummy time isn’t an activity that babies enjoy and will likely only be able to do a few short bursts at a time. Once they start making a fuss, it’s best to end tummy time.
Avoid Screen Exposure
During their first year of life, it is very unlikely that babies need screen time. Babies will develop their language and interaction skills with direct human interaction, as they often need immediate responses or feedback and are less likely to pick up and learn things along the way. When watching screens or TV, the feedback they are getting is often incorrect or artificial.
For example, if children are watching television and get the name of an object wrong, or misunderstand something, there is nothing in place to provide correction or praise. When engaging in activities with parents or carers, children will hear feedback and praise which then helps with their development. Having some screen time every now and then, especially if you just need a few minutes break, is to be expected and you shouldn’t worry about this.
Consider Baby Led Weaning
When it comes to weaning your baby onto solid foods, there are a few approaches you can take: puree, baby-led or mixed weaning. Puree weaning is the more traditional option, which is where babies are fed a combination of sweet and savoury pureed foods with a spoon. Baby-led weaning is a fairly new concept and is a way of allowing your baby to feed themselves a range of appropriate-sized foods.
Baby-led weaning is considered the best approach for babies as it allows them to explore, learn and experience new and different foods, tastes and textures all at their own pace. Baby-led weaning is believed to help children develop better relationships with food and reduce fussy eating as they turn into toddlers. If you decide to go down the baby-led weaning route, it could be worth investing in a weaning bib to reduce mess and staining and allow your baby to explore and play with their food.