Playtimes HK Magazine February 2018 Issue | Page 38

features
Brain Gain
Babies are born with more brain cells
than stars in the Milky Way, but these
cells require "wiring". Rachel Winston
explains how parents can help grow
their baby’s brain
T
he first few years of life are
pretty active in terms of brain
development. Did you know
that the average human brain
undergoes 85 percent of its growth in
the first three years of life? These first
few years are very dynamic, providing a
great window of opportunity to help set
up our children’s brain for future health
and happiness.
Babies are pretty impressive.
They are born into the world with the
majority of the brain cells they will
need. That is 100 billion brain cells, 10
times the number of stars in the Milky
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Way. However, the vast majority of the
“wiring” of the brain takes place after
birth, through experiences, and this
wiring needs our help.
Babies are hardwired to want
to connect with others and have
interaction. Early on, infants show a
preference for our faces, voices and
smell. Babies have shown preferences
for their mother’s voice as early as 30
weeks of pregnancy. They are actively
trying to make sense of the world and
survive, through loving connection.
Heartbreaking studies where
babies have been neglected and
deprived of the basic human need for
connection and playful interaction show
severely stunted brain development, in
comparison to babies who experience
regular interactions and play with a
loving parent or carer.
What this shows is that love and
playful interactions matter. When
you give your child face-to-face time,
lovingly respond to your baby’s cues
and sing songs, you’re actually helping
to grow his brain.
For optimal brain development,
babies first need to establish their
safety, love and comfort needs. Letting