Brain Games for Newborns- A Fad? Or are there real benefits?

I was fortunate enough to give birth to a little girl, Macy, on the 23rd April 2006. It seemed like the longest 9 months waiting for her arrival, so when she eventually entered the world we were really keen to do what ever we could to help her grow,

We had been to parenting classes, read several books on parenting and heard all about the importance of play. So when I was given as a gift a book titled “Brain games for babies, toddlers & twos” by Jackie Silberg, shortly after Macy was born I was excited about getting started on Macy’s development.

A lot of people seemed to snigger at the idea of developing a 5day old baby’s brain. Saying things like “they don’t do much but eat & sleep at this age” or “you are going to turn into one of those pushy mums we see on TV documentaries”. I am of the belief that you have got to give these things a try, as long as they do no harm to your baby. So ignored all the comments and started to play with Macy for a short while after every feed.

We were never really rigid with our approach to play time. We would probably play 4 times a day. It was never structured, just a fun 5 minutes before she was off in the land of nod again. We also used to take turns me and my partner, as I felt it important that her dad bonded with Macy form this early age. It is too easy for the dad to believe that they can do nothing to help with the baby’s first weeks. This is wrong in so many ways. He needs to connect so he does not feel pushed out, but also so you as the feeder do not need to assume 100% of the responsibility as the carer. The excitement that the dad can get when his baby looks at him from birth can never be underestimated. He will get so much back from the baby’s play time that he will be much more inclined to volunteer for nappy changes and sick cleaning duties!

The first game we played was “Follow the action”. This is a simple exercise which has been proven in clinical tests to be effective form day one. We had heard about this research from our midwife so we were keen to try it straight away. The book describes this game as the following:

“Babies love to look at faces, especially the faces of people they love. Try different facial expressions and sounds to develop your baby’s vision and hearing. Here are some ideas; blink your eyes, stick out your tongue; cough or yawn; sing a song using big lip movements; make contortions with your mouth.”

Macy’s dad started this game by poking his tongue out at her. This was their special thing and each time he would hold her the first week he would do this. By week 2 she would poke her tongue out back! This is not a lie or an exaggerated comment by an overpowering mother. I still remember her dad shouting “come & look she is doing it back”. There she was slowly but surely pushing her tiny tongue out at him. Now, I can already hear the sceptic in you saying “I am sure it was just a coincidence that she stuck it out at the same time her dad was doing sticking his tongue out”. I promise you that out little daughter was responding to what she had seen happening before. She never once poked her tongue out at me, it was a game between her and her dad. The older she got the more she would do it, and now she no longer waits for her dad to do it first she initiates the game!! Poking her tongue out whenever she sees’ his face

Please note: With any game, watch for signs that your baby is tired of the game and ready to rest or play something different.

So why is it important to play with your baby?

To help understand how this would help my baby I did a bit of research. I discovered that our brain is made up of building blocks (neurons). These blocks must be connected together in order to work. Your baby makes trillions of connections before birth, this is why she can breathe, hear, suck and cry! Other things they learn as they grow up will only happen if they make the right kind of connections as they develop. This is where our role as parents comes into the picture. We need to give them the right kind of stimulation so they can develop these connections and therefore develop the right skills they need in life.

All the experiences you give your baby will connect their building blocks. Whether it is a walk in the park, a smell of an orange or a look at a tongue for the first time, they all help develop their tiny brain. Building blocks which are continuously stimulated form stronger connections. For example a young child often likes to repeat certain actions, like climbing up steps. The more he practices the better he climbs, and the stronger the connection between the building blocks in the brain becomes.

There are also critical periods in your baby’s brain development; they are like windows of opportunity. If we miss this window and do not stimulate our baby’s senses at the right time we can make it harder for the child to learn. For example if a child never hears spoken words until 3 years old it will be more difficult for him to learn how to communicate.

It is easy to see these windows of opportunity all you need to do is be able to read the signs from your baby. If a 3 month old starts cooing & gurgling at you, you should coo & gurgle back. You can tell from this that the next few months are going to be a prime time to develop their hearing skills.

Also think about a toddler for a moment. He is always on the go, moving around and touching things he shouldn’t! You can see from this that he is developing thinking skills such as problem solving. You can help stimulate this and cement those connections.

Nature verses Nurture

While the brain’s potential is genetically programmed at birth, how these talents and abilities progress develop depend on YOU! The situations they experience and the environments they feel all allow these skills to grow. If you left a newborn baby (say the child of Einstein & Mother Theresa) in a blank room for the first 3 years of the life she would not become a caring brain box just because of who her parents were. The baby would need to experience life with their guidance to develop these skills innate in her.

The most important thing you can do is have fun with your baby and enjoy watching them grow!!

Chantel
YouAreBorn