Encouraging Your Baby to Be Active

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Did you spend the past few hours watching your baby crawl all around the living room, only to have her move onto the dining room or kitchen? Well then, congratulations — you have a happy, curious, growing baby. And it's not just her body that grows with all that movement. The more your baby moves and tries new the things, the smarter she gets.

For the most part, the brain doesn't grow in size like muscles or lengthen like bones. Instead, new happy experiences create pathways in the brain that encourage intelligence and creativity as time goes on. According to pediatricians, the brain grows through experience and stimulation. So when an infant has safe, positive experiences, her brain is preparing itself to learn as she grows older.

Being read to, seeing new places and faces, and hearing new words, as well as music, creates a brain that responds positively to the new requests life brings to a child and then an adult. The curious eight-month-old baby who crawls all over the floor and up the stairs will one day be the curious 12-year-old who opens an encyclopedia to read all about India or learn more about algebra.

Even events that might seem mundane to you, such as going to the grocery store or taking a walk, are new and exciting to a baby. And experts believe that if you can talk to your baby and describe the experience as she goes through it, her brain will develop even more exponentially. Research has even shown that babies who hear more an extensive vocabulary will have better speech and vocabulary when they start school years later.

What follows are some great activities to share with your child to encourage healthy brain development:

• Exercise with your baby. Sit her on an exercise ball (while you hold her, of course), and roll the ball around a bit. You can lay her on her tummy, too, and do this.
• Let her watch you cook dinner. Keep her safe from the stove and utensils, of course. As you cook, explain what you're doing. She'll think you're putting on a show, and you'll be a regular master chef!
• Dance with your baby. Put on all types of music from country to salsa, and let her feel the different rhythms in your body. Sing with her, too.
• Keep your baby relaxed. Stressed babies, like adults, produce excess Cortisol, which can slow brain development. If you feel tense, your baby will, too, so turn down the lights, speak softly and try to keep the atmosphere in your house calm. However, try to limit your baby to one or two new experiences a day. Too much stimulation, and your baby will feel overwhelmed. Routines create safety and security in a child, which helps their brain respond positively to the new stuff.
• Touch, touch and more touch. Cuddling and rocking your baby are so good for her emotions and body that her brain will be open to stimulation and be stress-free. Love makes people smart and healthy. Affection stimulates growth.

Finally, surround your baby with friends and family, and let them talk and walk with her, too. The safety they provide, their different ways of expressing themselves and playing, as well as their word choices and expressions, will encourage even more growth. Relatives who speak more than one language, friends who have accents and people who play peek-a-boo will delight her body and mind.

Visit www.huggiesbabynetwork.com for more information.

Important Sam's Club Disclaimer: All content, including but not limited to, recipe and health information provided is for educational purposes only. Such content is intended to supplement, not substitute for, the diagnosis, treatment and advice of a medical professional. Such content does not cover all possible side effects of any new or different health program. Consult your medical professional for guidance before changing or undertaking a new diet or exercise program. Advance consultation with your physician is particularly important if you are under eighteen (18) years old, pregnant, nursing or have health problems.