Do you think that your week old baby can’t do anything except crying, feeding and sleeping? Or, an educational toy is the only “true toy” you? Hold on, and read on to find out that this and many such more are just myths. Also, update yourself with the scientific facts which have finally busted these long prevailing myths.
MYTH 1: “Abhi to chhota hai”/Too small to learn/Too early to begin!
This is the most common thing a new age informed mother hears when she tries to give interesting or enriching experience to her newborn. For years, this belief has prevailed that a newborn is capable of little more than crying, sleeping or feeding, unable to see things including people around them or to distinguish sounds or voices.
FACT 1: Your baby’s first few years are FOREVER!!
Over the past two decades, infant research has advanced by leaps and bounds to reveal amazing newborn abilities. Long before they can talk, your baby can recognize faces, see colors, hear voices, discriminate speech, sounds and distinguish basic tastes. Your little one’s brain is working overtime, processing information and building neural connections that will serve as foundation to their emotional, social and intellectual development throughout life.
And, as I have mentioned in my earlier blogs, parents are the primary source of structuring their very dependent infant’s world in ways that will provide his/her brain with the excitement and energy it craves.
MYTH 2: Gifting bright colored toys to a newborn – A Good Idea??
News of the birth of a baby accompanies two things – tons of happiness and loads of gifts. If not teeny tiny clothes, then colorful toys. And we land up buying a beautiful box having rattles, bunch of blue, green, red, yellow plastic keys and those hanging mobiles.
FACT 2: A newborn can’t even see these colors!!
Science has proved that till 2-3 months, a newborn’s visual system is not capable of distinguishing or identifying colors except black and white. These are the two colors that a newborn identifies because of their high contrast. Also, vision at this stage is very blurred. It’s only by 4 months, that an infant can see other colors. And only by six months, a baby can see full spectrum of colors. So, next time you go out to buy a gift for a newborn. Think twice!
MYTH 3: Newborns can’t imitate.
FACT 3: Thanks to mirror neurons in their little brain, they can copy you.
Newborns as young as twelve to twenty one days old can imitate facial expressions, such as opening their mouths and sticking out their tongue in response to an adult doing the same. You can try this at home with even a day old newborn if your baby is in a receptive frame of mind: Bring your face close to your baby and slowly stick out your tongue. Hold it like that for a moment and wait. Your baby may echo your expression by sticking out his tongue too.
Science hold special brain cells called “mirror neurons” responsible for this imitation trait. This mirror neuron system potentially forms the basis for the human capacity to learn by imitation. In fact, demonstration of imitation by babies especially newborns clearly tells us that they are already capable of social learning. Thus, stressing again that it’s always wise to start early.
MYTH 4: An educational toy is the only “True Toy”!!
Many parents search for toys that will stimulate the development of skills that they associate with school learning, such as being able to count to 100, or recognize alphabets or identifying colors.
FACT 4: This isn’t necessary at all.
A toy doesn’t have to bear “Teach and Learn” label on it to have educational value. Letter recognition can also be introduced by reading the letters in colorful magazines or newspapers. And, counting to 100 can wait till school. The most educational toys are those that have limitless repeated uses and makes your baby’s play time – a happy time.
For a child, “Learning can wait, but Fun should not”!!
Note: The most important criteria for selecting an appropriate toy is to check its safety. To determine if a toy or a removable portion of a toy is dangerous to give to a child under 3 years old – pass it through the opening of a standard toilet paper roll tube. If it slides through, throw it out of the window. Don’t take chances!
MYTH 5: School Readiness means rote learning.
School readiness means making your child recite the alphabets, count 1-100 etc. Parents often exert a lot of effort and worry over the acquisition of such skills.
FACT 5: School Readiness means a ready brain – healthy, active, nurtured brain that is capable of learning.
School Readiness does not mean having developed the academic content of schooling. They will anyways be taught by experienced teachers in due course and there is little advantage of doing that sooner. Instead, it refers to coming to school or a preschool with a ready brain that is ready and active to take that learning. In our system, though school readiness is given importance as children as young as 3 years are interviewed, but we as parents need to understand that by giving a warm, loving and secure environment to the growing brain, learning will follow naturally. Parents quick attention to child’s needs, having a loving, healthy bond and interaction and communication to the maximum is all what a child brain needs in his first few years to prepare himself not only for school but beyond that too.
Have fun parenting and remember “Good Parenting Means Good Times and Not Prefect Times”.
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