Busy Parent's Guide To Smart Babies - Part 1

By : Madeleine Fitzpatrick

Are you juggling career and family? Do you find your free time stretched between your baby and older children? If you think you're too busy to learn about early education, you've come to the right place. Read on to pick up the basics in less than 10 minutes.

Why is early learning important?

The first years of life lay the neurological foundation for intellectual growth into adolescence and adulthood. This time represents a unique window of opportunity for learning.

Each of the brain's neurons is connected to roughly 5,000 others. In general, the more dendrites (branches between neurons) and synapses (connections between neurons) the brain has, the greater its processing power. More pathways mean information can travel in a number of ways, opening the door to faster and more complex thinking.

This is true in the adult, but not in the infant. Your baby's brain actually has more neurons and synapses than yours - but only because it hasn't passed an important developmental stage, known as pruning, in which the brain deletes unneeded neural connections in the interests of organization and efficiency.

"Use it or lose it"

The process of pruning is illustrative of the high plasticity (adaptability) of young brains, which are literally sculpted by the environments in which they are raised. Scientific testing of how exactly experience shapes the brain has led to the theory of "critical periods" - specific time periods in which stimulation must occur, or the chance to develop normal functioning will be lost.

The same principle holds true in humans. Scientists have discovered, for instance, that certain areas of the brain are larger and more developed in children who play musical instruments than in those who do not. These include the cerebellum, which processes rhythm and timing, and the corpus callosum, which acts as the conduit for communication between the brain's left and right hemispheres - vital for musicians coordinating their right and left hands.

Sowing the seeds of intelligence

Early learning programs such as Head Start in the US are producing measurable cognitive and emotional benefits in children - benefits that can last into middle and even high school. In general, the younger intervention is staged, the more significant and long-lived the effects. Full-day educational programs for infants have been shown to produce IQ gains lasting into adolescence.

The question is: why only provide such positive stimulation to children from disadvantaged backgrounds?

Many leading childhood development experts believe that we all have far greater potential in our early years than society gives us credit for. Waiting until school to begin providing consistent intellectual stimulation to a child is no disaster. But in doing so, we miss a unique window of opportunity for learning.

More Articles

Soothing The Symptoms Of Colic In Babies

... beyond the rest of the body significantly could all be indicators that your baby needs to be treated. It is important to watch your baby's sleeping patterns as well; the less sleep your little one gets on a daily basis, the more likely it is that she is suffering from colic. Your baby may also be particularly ... 

Is It Okay To Let My Baby Watch TV?

... watching TV's rapidly shifting images could have a negative impact on brain development in the very young (high-quality educational programs should not have rapidly shifting images though). Parents should note that even DVDs marketed as educational may be harmful to babies; if they are watched without ... 

How To Ease Your Baby Into A Good Naptime Routine

... course, other children (or even the same child) are not as amenable to taking a nap. These are the ones that cry at the top of their lungs the instant that you place them in the crib. If you are certain that there is nothing else bothering the baby (ie: they are hungry, gassy, need a diaper change, or ... 

How To Buy A Baby Car Seat

... and once he gets bigger you need to remember that after he is 26 kilos (a long way still for my son), you can use an adult seatbelt if you purchase and install in your car a booster seat. If you do so, my advice is to put your kid in the middle of the car, that is in fact the most safe place in the car ... 

Breastfeeding Made Modest And Easy

... baby beneath the cover. Although one nursing cover should be enough to fill your needs, it might be nice to have two on hand in case one of them needs a wash. After all, they will probably get a little spit-up on them every once in awhile. It is also fun to get more than one because they come in so many ... 

Making Breast Feeding More Convenient

... opportunities with a new arrival. The second trick to making breast feeding convenient is to use hands free breast pump bras. Hands free breast pump bras increase your freedom even more than using a pump alone because they give back the use of your hands. With the right tools you can type, make calls, ... 

A Guide In Introducing Toddler Toys

... newest member of the family. A welcoming party may be held to give everyone a chance to see this little baby wonder. There is so much outpouring of love and well wishes from guests. Time flies so quickly that baptism and the first birthday is soon celebrated. In occasions such as these, the couple is ... 

Lullaby Mobiles To Help Your Little One Drift Off

... arrangement one might find in a Christmas or birthday card, and is fairly uninspiring and not likely to help the child drift into a beautiful sleep. If it was me, I'd rather drift off to the sound of a fairy-sized harpsichord than an electronic series of beeps at an octave so high I'd be in danger of ... 

Baby Clothes: Top Five Criteria

... pointless waste of money because babies don't care about the things that they wear, I would point out that the baby doesn't care, but the mother probably does. She will be caring for, cleaning up after and dressing that baby all day every day, and a cute outfit every now and then can do a lot to help ...