To understand what you see your baby doing, it is important to be aware of the mental development that is going on during the important first year of life. Your baby has all the neurons or nerve cells he or she will ever have right now, but during the first year of life there is more rapid growth of connections between those cells than there will ever be again. These connections make it possible to think and learn. Research proves that a loving, nurturing, and stimulating environment encourages the growth of these connections and lays the foundations for healthy physical, emotional, and mental development. Your newborn is capable of learning from Day One.
Babies learn by using their senses to explore and gather information about the world.
The more encouragement and loving attention they receive, the more they learn. Mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers, and other people in your baby's life can all join in. Your baby's alert times will be very short at first. They may only last 4 to 10 seconds, but much learning can take place in that short time. By careful observation, you will learn to understand your baby's communications of needs for cuddling, food, changing, sleep, or play.