Baby

10. You don’t have to be an expert in brain science to give your baby what she needs for proper brain development

One of the great things about babies is that they are born with features that draw us to them and make us want to provide the kind of care, interaction and experience their little brains need. It’s their round cheeks, their smiles, the way their eyes lock with ours and, of course, the alarming nature of their cry. All of these behaviours and attributes were designed to attract us and make us respond. In many ways, the key to nurturing babies’ brain development is simply to allow ourselves to be captivated by our babies — to develop a feeling of connection with them and do our best to learn how to care for them.

There are exceptions. Some children are born with problems that require special care, stimulation and experience. But for the most part, if you can tune in to your baby, try to read her signals and do your best to give her what she seems to need, you’ll nurture her brain very well indeed — whether or not you know the first thing about human neurological development, and regardless of the imperfections we all bring to the task.

Originally published in Today's Parent Baby & Toddler, Fall/Winter 2009