The first 1001 days of a child’s life, from conception to age two, is a window of opportunity. It is a time of particularly rapid growth and brain development. From around 8 weeks pregnant, babies respond to touch. By 23 weeks pregnant, babies can hear sounds from the outside world and by the age of 2, a child’s brain is already 80% developed.
The building blocks for healthy brains come from the daily interactions between parents and their baby. Five ways to engage with your baby are:
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Respond to your baby (Smiling, laughing, talking and singing)
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Cuddle your baby (Use different kinds of touch, cuddling, tickling, stroking
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Relax with your baby (Finding ways to calm your baby down such as reading, in turn this helps you to regulate your nervous system and feel calmer)
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Play with your baby (Pull faces, play in the bath and get down to their level)
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Talk and sing with your baby (Take turns making sounds, your baby loves the sound of your voice. The more I hear you talk and use different words will help my language and communication skills)
More information and ideas for parents and carers to help children’s development from conception to two years can be found on the Early Years and Childcare Website.