But stimulating your baby’s mind is not only about making her listen to classical music. There are a variety of effective ways you can do to ensure that she is properly stimulated and nourished.
• Communicate with your baby. Sure she is not yet equipped with the vocabulary to enable her to respond to you in full sentence but it does not mean that talking to her is futile. Talk to her while you dress her, bathe her or feed her. This will encourage interaction and she will soon respond with a coo, smile or a few syllables.
• Engage her in activities that will stimulate her mind. Allow your baby to explore her surroundings by showing her around the house, taking her for a stroll at the park or letting her play with safe household items like cups and pails. Just be sure that she doesn’t play with unsafe objects or put anything in her mouth.
• Give her mind stimulating toys like building blocks, shape sorters and push and pull toys that will incite her to use her creativity, imagination, logical thinking and teach her a variety of lessons like spatial awareness and cause and effect.
• Encourage socialization and interaction. Introduce your baby to other kids and neighbors. Teach her the art of conversation by putting up a puppet show with her Baby Einstein puppets or making her play with toy telephones and have her imitate you when you talk to someone on the phone.
• Give constant signs of affection such as hugs and kisses to make your kid feel loved and cared for and to give her an assurance that she is safe and secure which is also contributory to the development of a positive self-esteem.
• Read stories to your baby. This is important in widening your baby’s language capacity and introducing her to different concepts.
• Avoid subjecting your kid to stress. Don’t over stimulate her by bringing her to crowded and noisy places. Also, avoid having arguments in front of your kid because this may cause psychological trauma on your baby and may be detrimental to her overall development.
• Of course, it is of utmost importance that you give her the proper nutritional diet suitable for a baby. If she’s already started on solids, make sure you give her adequate nutrients, vitamins and minerals that are needed for her brain to thrive and develop properly.
Cars, trucks and vehicle toys that do not have small or loose parts, sharp and pointy objects and are made of durable and flexible but safe plastic material.
Your baby’s brain development is one of the most important aspects of her overall development as an individual. As a parent, it is your responsibility to provide a safe environment where she can explore with her mind and senses, and learn about the world around her.