Baby’s world matters

How a baby’s world is set up makes a big difference when it comes to healthy development. Most babies and children love routines when it comes to meals, bathing, brushing teeth, nap times, bed time, and reading time. Routines make life predictable.

Babies and children also love repetition – you can read the same book over and over, or sing the same song a hundred times, and your child may ask you to “do it again!”

Don’t get fooled into thinking you need to buy educational videos or computer games. The best teacher is always a real person! And in fact, experts on child development recommend 0 screen time – that is no TV, computer, or electronic games – for children under 2 years of age. Experts differ on how much screen time is okay for children between the ages of 2 and 5 years. The upper limit is 2 hours per day, and less is better

Plastic bowls, sponges, and other common household items make great toys. But nothing beats time with caring adults and other children when it comes to stimulating young minds. The back-and-forth interactions with others teaches babies about themselves, and other people. Here’s a Healthy brain, Healthy brain video on Routines.

As soon as they are able, babies love to explore the world. Whether in the home, or outdoors, safety is the top priority. The world has different dangers when you are a crawling infant, or a 3 foot tall, 26 pound 2 year old. Find out how you can create a safe environment for your baby in thisOntario video from Health Nexus: Indoors and outdoors.

For more information on maing sure baby’s world is safe, check out Safe and Sound – child proofing 101.

Stress is a normal part of life, and babies also experience stress.Minor short-lived stress (like having a wet diaper, or going to the health centre for the first time) is one thing, but ongoing stressful situations, like when caregivers raise their voices, argue, or fight may have a lasting effect on baby. It’s also stressful when babies are ignored or left on their own for too long.

How stress effects your baby. This is another great video. We didn’t want to overload your browser, so please go to the link below.