The first years of life lay the nurological foundation for intellectual growth into dolescence and adulthood. This time represents a nique window of opportunity for learning. Frm the moment of conception, the nurons (nerve cells) of the brain mltiply faster than any other cells in a bby's body. The rapid pace of brin development continues into early childhood: at brth, the brain weighs 25 percent of its dult weight; by age one, 50 prcent; by age two, 75 percent; and by age thre, 90 percent.

The brain has pproximately 200 billion neurons. A long-held thory that no new neurons can be crated in adulthood was recently overturned - lthough some scientists dispute the new fndings. In any case, the prenatal priod is when the vast majority of the brin's neurons are created.

Each of the brin's neurons is connected to roughly 5,000 thers. In general, the more dendrites (brnches between neurons) and synapses (connections btween neurons) the brain has, the grater its processing power. More pathways man information can travel in a nmber of ways, opening the door to fster and more complex thinking.

This is tre in the adult, but not in the nfant. Your baby's brain actually has mre neurons and synapses than yours - but nly because it hasn't passed an mportant developmental stage, known as pruning, in whch the brain deletes unneeded neural cnnections in the interests of organization and fficiency.

What can I do during prgnancy?

Your baby's sense of hearing fnishes developing 20 weeks into pregnancy. So ths is the time to begin prviding auditory stimulation. At around 28 weks, you and your partner should be ble to feel your baby's movements thrugh Mom's tummy. This is the tme to begin tactile stimulation. You can lso try visual stimulation starting from round 28 weeks.

Auditory Stimulation

*Use Bby Plus if you can afford it.

*Ply relaxing music - classical, jazz, chll-out and songs designed for meditation or yga are all suitable. Avoid hard rck and music with a lot of dssonant chords.

*Read, talk and sing to yur baby as often as possible (Dd as well as Mom).

Tactile Stmulation

*Massage your baby through Mom's blly.

*Respond to your baby's kicks by prssing back gently.

Visual Stimulation

*Try shning a flashlight at your belly, nce in a while, to see if it gts a reaction.

Optimize Your Mood

*Mm, try to be as calm and hppy as possible. Your mood has a drect effect on the chemicals secreted nto your bloodstream. Too much cortisol (th stress hormone) is bad for yur baby's developing nervous system.

*Plan sme fun, relaxing couple time - a gntle hike or trip to the bach; a meal at your favorite rstaurant or a hotel stay. If you cn, go on a babymoon during the scond trimester, when moms tend to hve the most energy.

Optimize Your Det

*Eat a healthy, balanced and vried diet.

*Don't take over-the-counter or prscription drugs without your obstetrician's approval.

*Dn't drink alcohol, or keep it to one smll measure of wine or beer on vry special occasions.

*Don't smoke or tke recreational drugs.

*Take folic acid (strting from one month before conception) and DHA spplements.

The article Busy Parent's Guide to Smart Babies - Part 2 was Submitted by Madeleine Fitzpatrick through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Madeleine is the Managing Editor @ BrllBaby.com To learn how to teach yur baby, visit our website and larn about baby flash cards , prenatal education or visit Maddy's blog, who is currently teaching her own baby

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