The growing pressure on parents to raise "super babies" can be overwhelming. Every store shelf and commercials screams that this or that product is absolutely necessary for your infant's little mind to develop fully. Despite these claims, parents should be aware that children are born with a natural curiosity that makes them avid pupils of the world around them. No video or battery-operated toy can teach a baby as much as simple human interaction, which parents can happily supply. If you have ever wondered how to stimulate you little one, here are some cheap and easy ways to raise a smart baby.
How Babies Learn
Babies essentially learn by playing, making everything around them into a game. When your infant pulls down the tablecloth or flings her food from the highchair, she is performing an experiment. Everything that she sees is exotic and fascinating, a puzzle for her to figure out. Even the human face is a riddle for babies, who begin mimicking expressions and judging the resulting reactions almost from the moment they are born. The feedback that infants receive from their parents teaches them how to feel and behave, so it is the job of mothers and fathers to be attentive teachers. In short, interacting with your baby and providing them with playthings of every sort will help them grow up to be their smartest.
The Pros and Cons of Modern Toys
Although commercial toys do have some benefits, many of them do not encourage creativity in babies. For example, experts agree that before a child is a year old, anything they see on television is little more than a hypnotizing combination of colors and sounds. This is probably the reason why some parents think their babies are intently watching educational kids' videos when they are really just entranced. Likewise, electronic toys do not do infants much good. While the blinking lights and music that result from a kick or swat teach basic "cause and effect" concepts, children quickly lose interest in them. Baby discovers, "When I do this, that happens -- and that is it." After that, here is no need for them to try to figure out what the toy does. On the other hand, "old fashioned" toys and games offer babies all sorts of exciting possibilities.
Two-Person Games
As mentioned earlier, your baby will not respond to anything like she will respond to you. Notice how when you say her name she looks at you. When you talk, she gurgles back. Babies learn how to interact by playing with their parents, which is why they never tire of singing the same song or reading the same bedtime story day after day. By playing "patty cake" with your infant, you can teach her cause-and-effect, as well as expose her to language and song. This (or "Pop Goes the Weasel," Ring Around the Rosie," or other simple rhymes) will also develop her bond with you as she learns that it is fun to play with mommy or daddy. Besides singing, you can interact with your child by reading together. While she sits snugly in your lap, she can contemplate the pictures and words you point to, eventually associating them with what you say. Studies have proven that children who are read to at an early age start reading sooner and enjoy it more than other kids. Play peek-a-boo, chase, and tickle bug as well, which will earn you a reward of delighted giggles and will teach your little one practical social skills.
Classic Toys
Although parents would never guess it from the size of toy aisles, there are plenty of things for baby to play with besides conventional toys. Every time she splashes in the bathtub, she is learning. When she eagerly empties the bookshelf of its contents, she is learning. In fact, you should let your baby play with everything in your home that she can without hurting herself or the item. Keeping in mind that you do not have to convert your home into a pigsty, allow your baby to make a little mess with her food. Color, texture, and taste all get linked together in her mind when she squishes them into her hair and spits them on the floor. Even the simplest everyday things, water bottles, pots and pans, and cabinet doors, fascinate babies. Keeping the mindset that they are learning -- not being bad -- will save you headaches and will encourage them to get to know their environment.
When you purchase toys, try to steer clear of the battery-operated section. Think back to your childhood toys, the ones that stand out most clearly in your memory. Blocks to build with, blankets for forts, and crayons probably offered you hours more fun than any expensive gizmo your parents could have bought you. In the same way, babies will learn more efficiently if they are made to think. Give them simple toys of various sizes, shapes, and textures to play with. Wood blocks, plush teddy bears, and chewable plastic rings -- all of which have been popular for decades -- will thrill your little one. Better yet, there is not one set way to play with these things, so your baby will come with all sorts of amusing ways to put them to use. Get down on the floor with her and play, following her lead to show her that whatever she does, she is in charge and is doing it right.
Throughout the history of the human race, babies have been growing up into geniuses of every sort. Albert Einstein's mother certainly did not subject him to educational videos as a baby, yet he grew up to be one of the greatest minds the world has ever known. No, like any baby, he only needed a chance to become brilliant. Present your child with the opportunities, always offering your encouragement and love, and you can be sure that they will grow up to be exceptional.
