The development of the brain in a baby is one of the most fascinating processes ever. From the time of conception, the cells of the embryo divide and develop rapidly, listening to the instructions encoded in the genes of the parents. Cell differentiation and specialization ensures that all the body organs and parts develop. The brain is just one part of the extremely complex nervous system that evolves. This rapid development continues after birth and into early childhood. Here are 11 facts about a baby’s brain that every parent should know about.
1. Brain development continues after birth
Most developmental scientists refer to the first three months of a newborn baby’s life as the fourth trimester of gestation. This is because the development of the brain continues after birth at the same furious pace. The newborn baby has a brain that is one-fourth the size of the adult brain. Babies are born with absolutely no social skills or ability to distinguish between self and not self. These skills develop over the first several months of their life.
2. Babies learn from their environment
The first few months of a baby’s life are an intense learning process. The first lesson that it has to learn is to understand the laws governing the world around it and to make causal connections. Many parents try to enforce discipline or to communicate their responses verbally. This makes absolutely no sense to the baby. It is still trying to figure out how to deal with hunger, sleepiness and discomfort. All that parents can do at this stage is to respond promptly so that the child gets a consistent message about its world and how it works.
3. Baby-speak and funny faces help the baby learn
While for most parents, nonsensical expressions of affection and baby-speak come naturally, some might find it awkward to indulge in it. The brain of the baby is rapidly processing all inputs it receives, and the coochie coos and funny faces help it to make sense of how things connect. The mirroring of the baby’s expression that a mother does unconsciously, is the only feedback that the baby gets to understand the complex process of non-verbal communication that it is trying to master.
4. The baby’s brain grows rapidly for the first few years
The size of the baby’s brain at birth is a quarter of the size of an adult brain. In the first 12-18 months, the brain size doubles to become about half the size of a fully mature brain. It doubles again in the next two to three years to become a full sized brain. This growth in size, however, is not connected to its complete development, which may continue into early adulthood.
5. Baby’s brain is more powerful than adults
In neurological and heuristic terms, the brain of a baby is more powerful than that of an adult. This is because there are more neuronal connections in a baby’s brain along with less of neurotransmitters that restrict information exchange to predetermined pathways. This basically means that there are less rules and regulations for a baby’s brain to follow. If you watch an infant at play, you will be struck at the lack of logic and focus that governs his behavior. As they grow, their brains learn to focus and follow rules. In many ways, the baby’s brain is better equipped for solving problems and reaching conclusions than the adult brain.
6. A baby’s nonsense is an attempt to make sense
Babies are going through an intense learning process in the first several months of their lives. They are learning to articulate their expressions, from crying, fretting or bawling to cooing, smiling and laughing. They are learning that things have names. They are learning basic motor skills and the difference between ma-ma and da-da. One of the signs that they are actively processing all these inputs is babbling. More than an attempt to communicate something, it is a means of assimilating all this information and trying to put it into practice.
7. Too much attention can slow learning
While the main way that parents can help with the language development activity of a baby’s brain is by responding to babble and encouraging dialog, too much of it can be counterproductive. With time, it helps if the parents stop responding frequently to sounds and words that the child has already mastered and connected to some sort of meaning. The baby’s brain is a fabulous learning device, but it learns to ignore repetitive stimulus from the environment and instead seeks out newer responses.
8. Passive educational aids for babies are of little use
The baby’s brain learns through interaction. Even for aspects like language where auditory inputs are essential, the learning has been found to slow down if there is no interactivity. All those highly touted educational DVDs and tapes that promise to make your baby ready for Mensa by the time he or she is in kindergarten are pretty uninteresting to a baby’s brain.
9. They need help to learn, to calm down
The brain of a baby is in a hyperactive state of learning. Yet, it is often lacking in the ability to calm itself down. Helping a baby calm down, stop flailing its arms or legs, or go to sleep when tired, will reinforce the learning of self control that it needs.
10. Babies cannot distinguish voices from background noise
The baby’s brain is not capable of making out voices or vocal commands from background noise, because the auditory circuits are not yet developed to filter sounds out. This is also the reason why they are so oblivious to sounds that are disturbing to others. They can sleep soundly even in noisy places, and are often deaf to your sounds if they come along with a lot of background sounds.
11. Babies learn from people
Interactions with primary caregivers are not enough for a baby’s brain to acquire the social skills it needs for the interface with the world around him. The babies need to interact in supportive and safe ways with a large number of people. This is why the presence of grandparents and an extended family has been found to be a key factor in the development of a healthy and complete personality.
