A baby’s brain is like a sponge that quickly absorbs everything that happens around it, learning something new every day. In fact, in the first 24 months, the development of a baby is truly spectacular, as they create millions of brain connections per second. This is why stimulation in the first few months of life is vitally important in your baby’s development, both physically and mentally.
Not only that, but it also reinforces their affective relationship with their parents and the people around them.
In this blog entry we have suggested 10 easy activities or exercises for you to put into practice, to help you stimulate your baby. Even so, we should not forget that each baby is unique, and so the stimulation should be different in each case, adapted to its rhythm and without forcing anything at all.
1. Hugs and caresses
Contact activities are the first step in stimulating your baby. Holding him, cuddling him, caressing him and giving him a massage will not only reinforce the emotional link with his parents but will also help awaken your baby’s curiosity for everything around him.
2. Use your voice
To develop your baby’s sense of hearing and learning it is important to talk to him, tell him what you are going to do and describe things around him. Singing gently and smiling and laughing are things you can do with him.
3. In the cot
Babies spend most of their time in the cot. Give him toys and cuddly figures to stimulate his sense of touch. Cot mobiles also give them visual and aural stimuli, as do baby gyms with music and sounds when there is contact. It’s always a good idea to change his toys every now and then so he can discover new stimuli.
4. In the bath
Bath time is a festival of sensations for your baby: contact with water and soap on his skin, aromas, your hands putting the soap on, bath toys … and if on top of all this there is a relaxing massage before or after the bath, then the stimulation will be all the more complete.
5. Change his position
Changing your baby’s position on a regular basis is very important for improving his muscle tone and helping his backbone grow properly. Lie down on the floor or on the bed next to him where he can see you, play with him, makes gestures, cuddle and caress him.
6. Out for a walk
Whenever possible, take your baby out for a walk so he can perceive different sounds, smells and colours. The rocking motion and movement will also help him relax and generate brain connections.
7. Eating
It’s good to let babies experiment with food and try different flavours, smells and textures. Picking up food with their own fingers helps them improve the motor function, and they will feel part of the family meal; this will make them see eating as a good experience.
8. On the floor: crawling or walking
When your baby starts crawling, you should leave him on the floor as much as possible and if we or other children are with him, so much the better. The next step is for them to hold on to something and try and stand up by themselves. In this case, the best thing is to put them somewhere where they can hold on to a sofa, for instance. When they manage to stand up, we can take them by the hand so that they start to walk bit by bit, but it’s also important to leave them alone so that they take the initiative, reinforcing their autonomy and self-esteem.
9. Experiment by playing
Different textures, materials, sizes and thicknesses should form part of a baby’s daily life. You don’t have to buy expensive or sophisticated toys. There are many things in daily life we can experiment with: plastic bottles and containers, string, cloth, bottle tops etc.
10. Songs in different languages
Playing songs in different languages will help your baby to hear better. They will not of course be bilingual just because we do this, but it will help them learn other languages and distinguish different sounds more easily.
What else do you do to stimulate your baby? Share your ideas with us in the comments.
