Tundraco's logo, with the words Tundraco's Daily Living Guide in a solid black font on a green background.
Tundraco's Daily Living Guide to Raising Kids

How Babies Learn



Home | Book & Product Review Index | Article Index

How Babies Learn
By Rochelle Caviness

Current research indicates that babies begin learning the moment they are born, and that their experiences, even at this young age, can affect their long-term mental development.

Brain Food

Just like the physical body, the intellect also needs nourishment. For a baby's brain to develop properly, it needs to be fed a brain healthy diet. For a baby, this should consist of

Learning to Speak

When a baby is born, it has a unique ability to learn languages. To ensure that this skill is utilized, a baby needs to be exposed to all the sound (phonetic) combinations of the languages they need to learn. At around the age of three months, babies will begin to make phonetic sounds on their own. Cooing and babbling is actually rudimentary speech.

Developing Relationships

Babies are phenomenally equipped, from an early age, to identify different people by their facial expression, smells and the way they make eye contact. In addition, how you react to his facial expressions and cooing noises helps teach the baby how to relate to you. Muscle Development

During the ages of three to six months, most babies will progress from merely lifting his head, to actually trying to stand. Playing with your baby can enhance muscle development. Play, even something as rudimentary as holding a doll out for your baby to grab, can help your baby develop strength and coordination.

Is Your Baby on Schedule?

Each baby is unique, and they tend to grow in fits and starts. Therefore it is difficult to say, at any given point, that a baby is, or is not, developing 'on schedule'.

When· a baby is born, its brain contains millions of neurons, which are used to transmit signals from one cell to another. Each one of these cells can create over 15,000 synapses; in other words, they can create links to other brain cells. How these cells link up depends in part upon the baby's environment, its health, if it is held regularly, if it is talked to, basically everything that a baby experiences affects how these connections are made. Which is turn will dictate when a baby will be able to do a specific task.

Assisting in your Baby's Development

Babies need a lot of physical closeness and interaction with other people. Without this attention, a baby's physical and mental development can be stunted.

To stimulate his development and his curiosity, show him different sights, let him feel different textures, and hear a variety of sounds. Talk, sing, read, play, touch – just be there for your baby. Not only will you baby be happier, but evidence also suggests that he will actually be smarter than if he did not have this stimulation!

Back to top


About Us | Privacy Policy | Site Map | Comments

The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only.
Always consult your doctor for medical advice.


Click Here to Return to Tundraco's Daily Living Guide to Raising Kids Main Index

Copyright © Tundraco & Tundraco.com 2003 - 2012 All Rights Reserved