What Your Baby Can Do

Your baby can do much more than you might imagine. The early years of life are ripe for learning, growing and finessing skills. By providing a home environment that is rich with nurturing opportunities, parents will see their tots growing and expanding in leaps and bounds. A baby’s physical environment and caregivers play a huge role in how secure, confident and bright the child turns out to be. Scientists have learned that children growing up in orphanages who weren’t nurtured exhibited failure-to-thrive symptoms that tamped down their natural abilities. “Nature” is important but “nurture” is, too, for a child’s success in life. 

Some examples of what a baby and toddler can do in the first couple of years of his or her life include:

- Language development: In a mere two years of life, a human being progresses from a tiny infant who is new to the planet to a child who is running around saying words. This is an amazing amount of growth in a relatively short period of time. College students who are learning a second language will not be as proficient in it within the same time period. It all starts with coos, babbling, crying in various patterns and leads to verbally labeling their environment, forming words, sentences and beginning to see patterns that equate to letters of the alphabet. By reading to a child daily from birth or even before, your baby can laugh, speak and read before you know it.

- Physical development: When a baby is born, he or she doesn’t even know what arms, legs, hands and feet are, much less use them. During these early months and years, a tot will discover these wonderful appendages. He or she will stare at them, touch them, practice with them, and even taste them. Soon, he or she will crawl, stand, take a few steps and next thing you know, your baby can climb a slide at the park.

- How to provide a nurturing environment: Unconditional love and acceptance are number one. Respecting a child from day one will build self image, confidence and show him or her how to treat others. Speaking to him or her in a normal voice rather than a babyish one, reading books, singing to him or her, going to the park and playgroups will all provide language stimulation. Holding, hugging, rocking and dancing with tots will also provide comfort, fun and stability. 

Another important aspect of parenting that new mothers and fathers may forget about is their own self care. Parenting involves lots of energy and giving. The old adage that “you can’t give away what you don’t have” is truer than ever in this regard. Moms and dads should be sure to take good care of themselves and their “couple” relationship. Exercising, eating right, having fun outings with friends and “dates” as a couple will do much to nourish them so that they can be the best parents possible. Your baby can do amazing things when growing up in a nurturing environment.

Your baby can physically and mental progress into a capable, bright child in the right environment. Parents play a huge role in how their kids turn out.