How important is crawling?

How important is crawling? Very!  There are some children that skip crawling or scoot on their backsides rather then crawl before they walk.  I can't stress enough how important it is for you to try to encourage your baby to crawl. Crawling works on coordination of the upper and lower limbs preparing the body for improved balance in walking. Crawling further trains the balance system by giving your baby a new opportunity to learn to move his body against gravity. Crawling also helps to develop shoulder girdle strength that will help facilitate fine motor skills and hand function as the child transitions to upright. Crawling also provides visual training and eye hand coordination for future learning.  The distance of a babies head to their hands on the floor is the same distance they will eventually use, when older, to see a book that they are trying to read. One way to ensure that your baby crawls is by giving him ample tummy time when he’s first born.  Another way to encourage a baby that is a few months old to learn to crawl is by giving them many opportunities for play while on their stomach….such as with bright and musical toys or getting on the floor with them.  If your baby starts to scoot, don’t assume that it’s too late to teach him how to crawl. You can help him by placing him in the crawling position and using your hands to help him along.  Another great exercise for training your baby to crawl is teaching him to crawl up the steps.  You can complete this activity carefully, and when your baby finally gets the hang of it he can practice this fun activity over and over again.  Place a fun toy at the top of the steps for him to retrieve. Always make sure you are behind your baby in case he loses his balance.  After you have practiced on the steps follow up with a few minutes of encouraged crawling time on the floor. If your baby skips the crawling stage you can still encourage crawling games like crawling through a tunnel or crawling under a table to retrieve a toy.  Activities such as these even once a child has already learned to walk will help your baby develop the skills that crawling facilitates.

Mirror Neurons; What are They?

The concept of mirror neurons, brain cells that fire when you see someone doing an action, was first described by scientists in 1992. It is believed that humans learn language, facial expressions, physical actions, and even empathy through the brains ability to send signals to the appropriate brain area by merely watching an action take place. Through understanding this concept of mirror neurons and how they operate we can help train and teach our children new activities, games, language, and appropriate social interactions. When helping children learn new skills watching the task completed will aid in the learning process. This reinforces the importance of "face time" with our children, and making sure that our babies and toddlers see our physical expressions and watch the movements of our mouths as we speak in order to facilitate their language development. Seeing our physical expressions along with hearing speech will help our children develop understanding of language and the emotions that coincide with our words and tone of voice.

On a practical level, one way that I use mirror neurons with my children is during feeding time. To help a distracted eater, I would present a spoonful of food while I show them my own open mouth. The usual results are a copying of the open mouth position and a renewed interest in the food. Before teaching your toddler a new activity, such as kicking a ball for example it will help him to learn if you show him how you do it and then assist him in copying you. Keep the concept of mirror neurons in mind when you attempt to teach your toddler or child a new activity.

Technologies Effect on Your baby and Toddler Development

There are many television programs and videos that are designed to catch the eye of babies and toddlers and keep their attention for quite some time.  Some of these shows are educational and are developed to help your child learn colors, numbers, language, and concepts.  How can we know if the technology that is available for our children is beneficial or detrimental? There are many studies that show that too much television, DVD watching, and computer game playing can negatively impact a child's attention and can increase the risk of  other related learning issues.  There are other studies that contradict these results claiming that the right programs can encourage language development and other cognitive skills.  It can be confusing to parents who want to do what's best for their child.  Well the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children two years of age and under do not watch any television at all.  Here is what I do know.  When a baby is watching television he is not being actively engaged in conversation which is essential for the development of language skill.  When a baby is in a room with an adult that is watching a program that adult is not actively engaged in conversation with her.  When a baby or toddler is watching television they are losing precious time that they could use exploring and learning from their environment and their experiences   When a baby is watching television she is not using  her body to move and practice her motor skills. It is for all these reasons that I feel that babies and young children should avoid or be exposed to as limited television and related technologies as possible. 

Let me know what you think.

Ways to Build Your Baby's Attention

Your baby will be interested in things that are different, therefore when stimulating learning and attention you should create an environment with many differences. Some examples of differences are: sounds that can be high or low and items of contrasting colors or size such as things that are very big or very little.  Provide your baby with new and different things to look at, feel, taste, and listen to.  Provide things to engage with that you know that your baby is interested in, such as certain songs or objects you have observed that he enjoys or is curious about. Other ways of stimulating your baby's interest are using his favorite toys or including his name in play such as when reading a story or telling a nursery rhyme.  You can help train your baby to stay alert and shift attention by your interactions with him through your facial expressions, voice tone, and games that facilitate visual tracking.

The Benefits of Breast Feeding

I recently received a correspondence from an RN who expressed disappointment that the Baby Instructions DVD series does not address breast feeding. 
 She wrote:  Breast fed babies are healthier, spend less time in the hospital in the first 2 years of life, experience fewer infections, develop  fewer allergies, and research has shown to age 8 (and I am sure beyond that age as we continue the research) have higher IQ’s than the formula fed infants.  

This blog is dedicated to her and will provide information on the importance of breast feeding.
Breast milk is best for baby with its benefits extending beyond nutrition.  Breast milk contains all the vitamins and nutrients that a baby needs in the first 6 months of life as well as disease fighting substances that protect a baby from illness.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life.
Scientific studies have proven that breast fed babies have decreased instances of stomach viruses, respiratory illness, and ear infections. When breast fed babies do present with these illnesses the severity and duration of symptoms are decreased as compared to formula fed babies.
A research study that included over 17,000 infants followed over a period of 6.5 years indicated that breastfeeding improves cognitive development.

Preterm infants with extremely low birth weight who received breast milk shortly after birth improved their mental development scores at 18 months when compared with preterm infants who weren't given breast milk. In a later study, researchers found that the higher scores held at 30 months, and that the babies who received breast milk were also less likely to be hospitalized again because of respiratory infections.

A  long-term study of children who were breastfed showed that breastfeeding reduces food allergies at least through adolescence. Protection from allergies is one of the most important benefits of breastfeeding. The incidence of cow's milk allergies is up to seven times greater in babies who are fed artificial baby milk instead of human milk.

While breast feeding is natural it is not always a process that goes smoothly initially. Don’t be discouraged if you experience some challenges.  Consult with a lactation specialist if you need help or support.

On a personal note, I had difficulty nursing my first baby 21 years ago.  I was young and inexperienced at the time and would not have been successful if it had not been for the help of my sister in law.  If you are having any difficulties seek out people that can support you as you learn about the joy the beauty of nursing your baby.

The Importance of Play

Play is an essential part of your baby's development. Play in the first year is how your baby will learn about his world and his body. Your baby will learn from the toys your provide for him, but more importantly your baby will learn from exploration. When he touches, squeezes, pushes and pulls items he is learning about his world. When your baby moves his arms and kicks his feet, he is learning about his body.  In this early stage of development your baby will rely on his senses: touch, sight, smell, taste and hearing, to make sense of the new world he has arrived in. Exploration and play are an essential part of this development. Promote play fullness and desire to play by creating many social opportunities with face time, smiling, and cooing conversations. Allow for plenty of movement opportunities for physical development and provide multiple age appropriate items for your baby to reach for, grab, mouth, and touch. All of your baby's development will be enhanced through play.

Your Infant's Grasp and Hand Manipulation Skill Development

Understanding your infant's grasp pattern development and abilities will help you to know what  toys and items your baby is ready to explore with.  Your newborn's grasp is controlled by his involuntary grasp reflex pattern. Your baby will grasp any small item placed in his hand and will continue to hold on to that item without a real awareness that anything is in his hand. It's a good idea to stimulate this grasp response by encouraging your baby to hold your finger while you shake his hand and by providing ring like toys and rattles for your baby to hold. This involuntary response will help prepare your baby for the next stage of purposeful grasp which should happen at about 3 months.  Your baby will start to control and understand that something has been placed in his hand even though he is not yet reaching for items himself. At 5 months, your baby can reach and grasp items independently. By 7 months old your baby will be able to reach and grasp items with his full hand and will explore these items with his mouth and eyes. At this point your baby has developed the ability to grasp items voluntarily as well as release these items to let them fall when he wishes.  It is around this time, when your baby can hold items in each hand, that he will begin to problem solve how to retrieve a third desired item if both of his hands are occupied. At 9 months your baby should begin to pass small items from one hand to the other. With this new found hand manipulation skill your baby will begin to actively engage with toys and items in his environment.