When you touch your newborn baby, you are teaching him that he is loved and wanted. Studies show that gentle touching helps to calm a baby and reduces stress in children. A baby who is calm can take in the sights, sounds, textures and smells around him. The more experiences your baby can take in, the greater number of connections can be built for infant brain development.
Touch Activities for Babies' Development
- Make time each day to spend gently touching your baby. Talk with her as you gently stroke her arms, legs, back, belly, feet and toes. "I'm stroking your legs, now your arms."
- Take time to find out what baby activities your child likes. Keep in mind that each baby is different. Some are sensitive to touch and may respond better to being wrapped securely in a blanket and rocked. Some babies need to be stroked gently. Others respond better to a firmer touch.
- Watch and see how your baby responds to different kinds of touch. What infant activity works well for calming baby cries? What makes her smile? What upsets her? Don't be concerned if your baby doesn't respond as you would expect. You will soon discover the kind of touch your baby likes best.
Gentle touch builds baby brain development and creates a bond between parents and their children.
Reprinted with permission from Diane Trister Dodge and Cate Heroman, "Building Your Baby's Brain: A Parent's Guide to the First Five Years," pages 9-10, Teaching Strategies, Inc. Washington, DC, 1999. For more information about this book and other materials for parents and teachers, visit Teaching Strategies or call 1-800-637-3652.