Every time you look at the baby, you will think that he is very cute, this cuteness is mainly because he has a big head, a small body, this Q version of the "shape" makes you feel extremely cute. However, the characteristics of the baby's big-headed doll show that in the first few years of his birth, the fastest growing part is his head.
Although eating and sleeping in infancy have almost become the baby's main activities, behind his calm sleep is actually the brain nerve cells growing at a high speed.
Suddenly one day you may be surprised to find that your baby can imitate you sticking out your tongue or picking your eyebrows, and soon he will recognize all kinds of human faces, learn a kaleidoscopic language, some of which you have not taught him at all, and you don't even know where he learned it.
All of these milestones stem from the changes that have taken place in his cute head.
Accelerated period of brain development
The last 3 months of pregnancy and the first two years of your baby's life are called accelerated periods of brain development.
At birth, the brain weight is 350 to 400 grams, which is about 25% of the weight of the human brain. By 6 months, your baby's brain weight reaches 700 to 800 grams, which is 50% of the adult brain weight. By the time they reach the age of 2, they are close to 75% of adults.
With the increase in brain weight, the size of the brain is also growing, so the head circumference is also increasing, and the size of the brain is very close to that of adults when the baby is 3 or 4 years old.
The increase in the head circumference is something we can feel externally, so what changes have taken place inside the brain? There are mainly two: one is the increase in the connections between nerve cells (also known as neurons), and the other is the growth of glial cells that provide nourishment for neurons.
It is important to talk about the first change here. Neurons have intricate connections, and to achieve these connections, we need some "liaisons", who pass information from one neuron to other neurons, forming the basis of our various psychological and behavioral activities. These liaisons are called "synapses."
During the accelerated period of brain development, synapses explode, which leads to an interesting phenomenon that the number of synapses in the brain of babies even exceeds that of adults at the age of 2!
Plasticity of the brain
Why are there fewer synapses in the adult brain? This is because the connections between certain neurons are not necessary and are not used very often, so the brain "prunes" them. Not only that, but those important, often used connections are enhanced as experience increases.
However, the brain's pruning of synapses is not a bad thing, on the contrary, it is very important, so as to make the brain more efficient and avoid unnecessary waste of resources, after all, we live in human society, most people only need to recognize the subtle differences between human faces, but there is no need to know the difference between different monkey faces.
Brain development is not just carried out according to established biological procedures, but will be shaped by the environment and experience, following the principle of "use in and out". It is like a highly sophisticated machine, which has functions that can cope with all needs when it is factory set, and as it is continuously used, some functions are deleted, some functions are retained, and slowly become personalized mode.
Early in life, if an individual does not receive the necessary and abundant environmental stimulation, it will affect the development of brain function. Scientists' studies of animals have confirmed this: If a chimpanzee grows up in a dark environment, its retina and the nerve cells responsible for processing vision shrink.
Another study of baby mice also found that baby mice that grew up in a rich environment (well-lit, large and spacious, with a variety of "small toys") had a better thickness and weight of the cerebral cortex than infant mice that grew up in a poor environment (dimly lit, isolated, and almost no stimulation).
What makes your baby's brain develop better?
Create necessary and rich environmental stimuli
In infancy, the baby's main learning material is a variety of sensory stimulation, he through the feeling and action in the understanding of the world, parents should fully mobilize the baby's various senses:
Show your baby colorful objects to increase the visual experience;
Give your baby different smells, taste different tastes, and stimulate the sense of smell and taste experience;
Talk to your baby more, listen to music for him, and increase your auditory experience;
Give your baby more touch and let him touch objects of different shapes and textures to feel a rich tactile experience.
Guide your child to use more of his brain
As mentioned earlier, the brain follows the principle of "use in and out", which means that only by thinking more and using more brains can the connections between neurons be stronger and the brain run at a higher rate.
You can buy more toys for the baby, pay attention to the type of toys to be rich, need to meet the current stage of the baby's development, to stimulate the baby's interest, do not promote seedlings.
You should also play with your baby more, in the process of parent-child interaction, with the help of specific and vivid toys, games, picture books, etc., to inspire him to think, exercise his thinking.
But everything should be done in a relaxed environment and a pleasant atmosphere, and don't force your baby to do things he doesn't like or want to do.
If the baby is in a negative environment for a long time, often facing acute or chronic stress, such as excessive criticism, corporal punishment when showing fear, fright, nervousness and other emotions, it will have a negative impact on his brain development. Because in the face of stress, the brain needs to consume a lot of glucose to cope, which will take up the glucose that should be used to develop cognitive ability.
Ensure adequate nutrition, sleep and exercise
Although the brain only accounts for 2% of body weight, it consumes 20% of the body's energy, and infants and young children account for a larger proportion, so getting adequate nutrition is the premise of efficient brain functioning. The brain needs a variety of nutrients, including protein, lecithin, minerals, vitamins, and more. These nutrients can be obtained from fruits, vegetables, meat and other foods. If you want to make your brain work better, you must not be partial to food.
When the baby sleeps, the brain is not out of hibernation, but the nerve cells of the brain show strong rhythmic activity and are quietly developing. As your baby ages, you should consciously cultivate your baby's good sleep habits and regular schedules, and be careful not to disturb your sleeping baby.
Exercise allows more blood to flow to the brain, bringing rich glucose to the brain as energy, while also stimulating protein production and promoting connections between brain nerve cells. Therefore, ensuring that the baby exercises in moderation and allows him to play freely in a safe environment can not only promote the development of the baby's motor ability, but also promote the development of his brain.
All in all, we must firmly grasp the acceleration period of the baby's brain development, provide him with rich environmental stimulation, and guide him to explore and think more, so that the comprehensive ability of the baby's brain can be developed to the greatest extent.