Fun Facts Friday

After doing research on the topics I post in my "Friday Fun Facts" blog feature I can usually come to a conclusion that I agree with and feel confident about supporting, but this subject has me seeing and agreeing with aspects of both sides...what are your thoughts? 

PRO: "Motherese" is a brand of chatting better known as "baby talk" and can be important to development. Together, the wide smiles, high pitch, exaggerated expressions and repetition succeed in drawing and holding a baby’s attention. This encourages babies to become an active part of two-way interaction, motherese seems to be an important tool in building and deepening the emotional bond between adults and babies, and serves as baby’s first introduction to language and communication skills. 

CON: A recent study suggests that speaking to your baby or young child using "motherese" instead of more complex sentences may set a poor example and could possibly hinder their communication skills. The same research shows that by using more complex sentences some babies will learn the right terms and forms of language early on and develop a higher ability for language comprehension as they grow. 

Born Free Baby!!!

It is often thought that it is good for a baby to spend time in a playpen, jumper or walker for stimulation. Although these devices can be quite helpful for very short time spans they can actually hinder a baby from learning how to move and explore the new world around them. When babies are given the opportunity to be on his belly on the floor, they will move and love every minute of it. All too often a baby is placed in a high chair, backpack carrier, playpen, car seat, or stationary walker, but a baby should be free to move on their bellies as much as possible, and confined, bundled up, or restricted as little as possible. This type of free movement stimulation promotes a sense of security, confidence and curiosity all while strengthening important neck and upper body muscles. 

Fun Facts Friday

While it may seem at time that your baby is just laying around not doing much...nothing could be further from the truth. Babies do a huge number of things internally, they are very intent human beings determined to overcome difficult circumstances such as blindness, deafness and immobility. At birth, a baby is born functionally blind, deaf, and immobile. Baby's bodies & brains are full of sensory and motor pathways that grow and develop through stimulation. Interacting with your child through verbal communication and eye contact really help with stimulation but even without your constant attention human instinct for self preservation is strong. Babies can self stimulate, by looking at their surroundings, listening intently to noises and by kicking and moving their arms & legs. While many of these movements may be involuntary they are inner connected to the sensory pathways that need to be strengthened.