Easy Ways to Stimulate Babies Parents Need to Learn

Providing proper infant stimulation early on will have a big impact on his life later on. Maybe people think that babies, especially newborns, have not been able to understand or respond to things around them. But in fact, infant stimulation from an early age is very important so that the baby can develop cognitively. According to a child health expert, early in life the baby has also used the five senses to find sources of food and comfort, receive information, also react to the surrounding environment. The sense of sight does take several months to function perfectly, but other senses such as hearing and touch have fully developed from birth. Play is the best stimulation method for babies, when babies learn to socialize, move, communicate, and try to understand the world around them. Below are some ideas or ways of stimulating babies that can be tried.

Vision

When newborn, baby's vision is still blurred and can only see something that is 20-30 cm apart, see the size of objects whether large or small, and bright or dark shadows. His eyesight only develops around the age of 4 months, when his eyes can follow the movements of objects and begin to see all colors. He will be able to estimate the distance when he can walk and crawl at the age of 8-12 months. How to stimulate:

• Room decoration with bold patterns and bright colors.
• Smile and talk to the baby even though he doesn't understand what your words mean. He will pay attention to changes in your expression and see your movements.
• Playing peekaboo, especially when a baby starts 4 months old, can help coordinate the movement of the eyes and hands.
• Take the baby out of the house like to go to the park so he can see different things.
• Bring the baby closer to the mirror so that he observes his own reflection.
• The study found that even babies aged 2 days can mimic simple movements such as sticking out the tongue.

There are various baby games that can train the senses of vision, hearing, and baby feelers such as textured toys, toys that are equipped with music, rattles, or even anti-break mirrors. To stimulate the senses of vision, you can choose toys with contrasting motifs and colors.

Hearing

The baby's hearing actually has developed since in the womb, so after birth he will be familiar with his mother's voice. First, the baby will learn to recognize the mother's voice, feel the touch, and look at the mother's face. In the early days or weeks of birth, when he hears his mother's voice, usually he will stop moving for a moment, or even look for the source of the sound. How to stimulate:

• Getting used to smiling, talking, and treating your child gently will make him associate your presence with comfort, warmth, and fulfillment of nutrition.
• Sing a slow song to calm the baby, especially when the baby is fussy.
• Play soothing music, then hold the baby while moving to the beat of the music.
• You can try various expressions like sticking out your tongue and smiling to stimulate the baby.
• Reading books to babies can be done even since the baby is still in the womb. Although he does not understand the contents of the reading, but reading can strengthen the relationship between mother and baby, both for emotional intelligence, and can be the foundation later to talk. Seeing colorful pictures on books can also be fun for babies. Try reading books to babies for at least 10 minutes per day.
• You can make a jingle by filling a small plastic bottle with dried green beans so that they can sound when moved. Don't forget to close it tightly and seal the bottle cap so it can't be opened.

Around 2 months of age, he can start trying to mimic the sounds he hears, start babbling around the age of 4 months, and can mimic the specific sounds you say at 6 months.

Touch

Holding and hugging your baby will make him comfortable because it is similar to what he felt when he was still in the womb. Give it a safe toy with different textures and shapes.

Smell

From birth, babies can smell the aroma of breast milk, can also associate certain scents with a sense of comfort and danger. Avoid using perfumes and detergents with strong scents, also introduce them to various scents and tell them what odors they are kissing.

Taste

The baby can taste and choose the sweet taste he gets from breast milk. To stimulate the senses of taste, during lactation you can eat various types of food with different tastes. This can be the initial foundation for a healthy diet later on. No need to feel limited by the usual toys purchased. You can even invite him to play with objects or things like water when bathing. However, do not ever leave him alone in the bathtub. Newborns generally spend most of the day sleeping. When he wakes up, take the opportunity to stimulate him. But keep in mind also that babies can also be stressed if they get too much stimulation. This can be characterized by movements such as kicking, flapping, stretching and starting to cry. When stimulating a baby, keep in mind that the development of each baby is different so there is no need to worry if he has not reacted as expected. Conversely, consult a doctor if the development of the baby is feared to be abnormal or late. But keep in mind also that babies can also be stressed if they get too much stimulation.