All about Baby

Article Navigation

Click Here for more articles

Developing Your Baby's Brain

by: Ishi Bansal

Have you ever wondered why toys for babies tend to have so many bells, whistles
and lights? Or why they have so many different textures, and materials and colors?
It's almost as if we want to provide young babies with a whole world of stimulation and
we can't quite get it to them fast enough.

Play gyms or activity gyms as they are sometimes called tend to be a firm favorite with
babies from newborn up to about 12 months. These play gyms and activity nests mostly come
in the form of comfortable, quilted or softly padded playmats, sometimes
raised at the edges with a space in the middle for baby (like a ring doughnut).
And these play gyms can be either brightly colored or in soft, pastel shades.
But don't be fooled by thinking they are just snug and comfy resting places for
babies to fall asleep in!
These activity gyms can provide a plethora of visual, audio and tactile stimulation
for fast developing young inquisitive minds.

Often decorated with well known and lovable characters, Winnie-the-Pooh, Tigger, Eyore,
or farm and zoo animals as well, they can consist of detachable, hanging parts for
small babies to try to grasp. They tend to have parts that are crinkly, soft, scrunchy
textures for baby to touch, squeeze and stroke. Some come with bright twinkling
lights and bells and others make funny sounds, or musical sounds, and some even do both.
You will often find mirrors attached to these activity gyms, so that your baby
gets to find and see its own reflection, often providing hours of fun for babies
and carers alike. All of this is extremely important for developing young minds.
Babies are like a sponge, they are ready to absorb whatever information they can -
and boy - they can't grasp it fast enough!
A lot of new research points to the first three years of life as being critical to a baby's
developing brain. It is a known fact that during this period, not only does the brain triple
in weight but it also establishes thousands of billions of nerve connections. Astonishingly,
at the age of three, a young child has twice as many nerve connections as many adults. Therefore,
in your role as a parent, or primary care giver, it is of paramount importance that you recognize
this and understand just how much development is taking place inside your young baby's brain from
birth until the age of three.
At birth, children have most of the neurons (brain cells) they need for a lifetime however, these
brain cells are not yet linked (or "wired") together to form the complex networks that are required
for mature thought processes to take place. And what happens is that in the early years, young
children's brain cells form these connections, or synapses as they are commonly called, very very
rapidly.
One of the crucial ingredients to aiding these connections to form, is experience, and repetition.
In a word, the more times you repeat something new, like showing a baby how to scrunch up a ball,
the quicker these connections are formed. Therefore, it naturally follows that the more positive
interaction you give an infant or toddler, the more you are helping to stimulate young brains.
This stimulation causes new connections to form neural pathways and strengthens existing ones.
Playing with activity gyms, with all
the bells and whistles that they offer or reading to a child, anything which allows a child to
have positive, interactive processes, will aid your child's brain development.

So, as you lovingly sit and watch your young baby laughing and gurgling on the
play mat or under the activity gym - do not underestimate the power of the changes taking place
in the brain, all enriching an inquisitive mind and arming it with a plethora of knowledge and
understanding for years to come.

About the author:
I Bansal is a mother of two and webmaster of

Circulated by Article Emporium

Read Articles:

Andy Griffith Show Family Lessons

Puppy Training Tips for the First Week

Using House Slippers Make You Feel At Home

Choose the Right Puppy for Your Family

Paternity Testing - Are You Raising Someone Els...

Susan Dunn, The EQ Coach

Creating a Safer Home and Community for Your Fa...

Back to School 101

Make a Valentine for Mom: Digital Cameras Make ...

Americans are Turning to Traditional Gifts for ...

Gathering with Extended Family for the Holidays...

Nourishing Your Network

Breastfeeding - Handling Criticism

Trick or Treat �- Planning the Ultimate Hallowe...

Don�t Hibernate! Some Ideas for Family Winter O...

Whether Your Halloween Fun is Homemade or Store...

Planning Creative Holiday Parties

Common Childcare Myths

Pet Pampering Popular with Animal Lovers

Lisa's Christmas

Money Is A Family Affair

Get Answers To Important Questions About Dog Na...

Things You should never feed your Dog

Mother Role

The Great Baby Name Debate

The Trickiest Gift on your Shopping List

Slash Your Grocery Prices with Coupons

Take Control of Your Gas Prices

Five essential baby shower gifts

Facts You Should Know About Baby Shower Etiquette

Guide to Easy, Affordable Baby Shower Decorations

How to make a lovely baby shower cake

So You Want a American Pit Bull Terrier?

The Right Mutual Funds For Baby Boomers

Puppy Love - Wonderful Companions

Am I Really A Stroller-Monger?

Here's What to expect at a Baby Shower.

Use Party Favors to brighten up any party!

The Fabric of life...or...what material should ...

Are Wedding Decorations waiting in Your future?

More Article Pages 1 - 2 - 3 - 4

Baby Cold Symptoms and How to Give Care
by: Leroy Chan

Remember how miserable you felt when you last had a cold? Can you imagine what your baby must feel when he experiences a cold for the first time?

Viruses are responsible for causing colds. Infected people spread the viruses when they sneeze or cough nearby healthy people. The virus gets into the nose and throat where it multiplies.

What Are The Symptoms?

When your baby has a cold, there will be a number of symptoms. He will be sneezing and have a runny nose. He may have a sore throat and it may be difficult for him to swallow. His glands may become swollen.

He may not feel like eating much and he could become irritable. A cough may develop. He may get a slight fever or have a body temperature of 101 to 102 degrees Fahrenheit.

When to Seek Medical Advice

If your baby is three months old or less and has cold like symptoms, you should contact a pediatrician immediately. Cold like symptoms in a baby three months old or less are misleading and could lead to a serious ailment.

On the other hand, if your child is more than three months old you should contact a doctor if you notice that he is breathing loudly and his nostrils expand out with each breath. His nails or lips are becoming blue. His mucus is thick, runny and green. He has a cough that hasn�t gone a way for more than a week. His ears ache. His temperature is more than 102 degrees Fahrenheit. He has become more drowsy or grouchy.

How to Care For Your Baby

Medical experts tell us there is no cure for the common cold. However, there are ways to alleviate the miserable symptoms your baby undergoes.

Make sure he gets plenty of rest and extra fluids. If he has a fever, give him acetaminophen or if he�s older that six months he may take ibuprofen (but don�t give it to your baby if he is dehydrated or continuously vomiting).

If your child has a cough and is under three years old, don�t give him a cough suppressing medicine unless it was prescribed by a pediatrician. Coughing rids the lower respiratory tract of mucus.

If your baby has nasal congestion, you can use a rubber suction bulb to draw out the mucus from his nostrils. If the mucus is too thick, you can apply saline nose drops to soften the mucus before extracting with the bulb. A humidifier can also be used in the baby�s room to help liquefy the nasal secretions.

Concluding Thoughts

The best way for your baby to avoid a cold is to not have him near people who are infected. But if your baby gets a cold, the best thing you can do is make it comfortable for him. Soon his cold symptoms will disappear and he�ll be back to health, that is, until the next episode. But by now you�ll be ready for that, won�t you?

To learn more about newborns and what you can expect during your baby�s first year visit: http://www.firstyearbabyadvice.com

This Static Spot is open for sponsor

This Static Spot is open for sponsor