Play is the not only fun...it is the perfect way your baby will learn how to move, communicate, socialize, and understand her world!

 

Here are some fun ways to play with your baby:

  • Put a toy away from her reach and say, "Come get the toy!", which helps her practice using her arms and legs
  • Put colorful mobiles over her crib that she can reach, grasp or kick with her feet
  • Read to your baby or just let her look at the pictures, while you point out what the pictures are showing

Your baby will probably love listening to music. Baby rattles and musical mobiles are other good ways to stimulate your infant's hearing. 

Brain Science for Your Baby

 

Jean Piaget was a famous psychologist who changed our "thinking about thinking" in children. He described stages of development.  Children from birth to two years are in the "sensorimotor" stage of development.  He thought of young children as "little professors" who learn through their own senses and actions on objects.  New science tells us that these "baby experiments" help children understand how the world works by helping to build strong brain connections between neurons. 

This video shows how play builds healthy brains! 
A Baby Buffer Prescription for Your Baby
 
Put things in front of your baby for him to look at. As you move an interesting object slowly from side to side, your baby will follow it with his eyes. This is called tracking and is one of the first ways that young babies explore the world while building their visual skills.  
 
Place your baby so that she can kick or hit at a mobile or rattle.  She will connect her kicking with the movement of the toy. This helps her understand cause-and-effect. And your baby will also discover that making noise is just plain fun!
 
Make everyday routines playful. 

A baby Buffer Prescription for You   

 

You may not be used to playing with a baby, or may find it hard to come up with ideas about play. Know that "playing" to a baby is just as simple as patting her hands together or singing to him, while gazing at him.

 

Giving your child things to hold and play with can be fun for you...and a stress reducer. While you are playing with your baby, relax! Your smile and happy tone of voice will communicate love and caring...and help you feel good, too.  

 

 

 

 

What Your Baby Can Do - Developmental Milestones 

 

Your baby will love being held and touched by you from the very beginning, this is the beginning of your relationship with your baby. Click on the links below to find out what your baby should be able to do:

  
Gene's Research Tip!

Your TSK is curious!  It's in his genes, directly from you! But sometimes parents don't think that curiosity is cool; they think curiosity is a catastrophe! How can you use this curiosity to help him learn healthy habits? By being prepared for your little Curious TSK!

                  

You need to give him new ways of looking at the world! You can do this by being a great example for such things as eating vegetables! So, does food presentation make a difference in how well TSK will eat?  YES!  Read more here

 
Baby Buffer Blog
Written by Cathy Mancina Smith, PhD

Being a mom is not always easy. That's why it is important to have a circle of support. We all have times when we need someone to talk you, someone to give us advice or to lift us up when we are having a bad day. Your circle of support can include friends, relatives, neighbors or people you meet through a club, church or other organization. Some of my best friends are women whom I met when my children were babies. When my oldest daughter was born, I didn't know many people in my neighborhood and my mother and four sisters all lived out of state. My family was a great support but they lived so far away. I needed some local supports, so I started looking for a way to meet other mothers who had young children.

 

Read the full blog here

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