Brain Development in Babies

April 30th, 2012 Posted in Babies
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It is important for parents especially the mothers to know how brain development in babies occurs. This may help them better in providing not only for the physical needs but also for the mental stimulation that their babies need which would contribute to their overall development.

Brain development in babies start at the time of conception as millions of neurons are created and connected. A baby while still in his or her mother’s womb can already recognize her voice. This would indicate that the memory of babies is already being developed and is already working even before they come out into this world.
Since brain development in babies start in the womb, mothers will have to be careful with their lifestyle as well as their diet when they get pregnant. These are some of the factors that may affect and alter how brain development in babies occurs.

By the time that babies are born, they have gone through about a fourth of their brain development. The rest of the brain development in babies happens as they grow. The most rapid changes may be seen during their first years of life. There are differences in the way brain development in babies occurs depending on the gender.
Boys develop their brain part for motor skills first before their thinking skills and girls develop their brain part for thinking skills first then their motor skills. Parents should understand this so that they do not make wrong comparisons as to the skills and the rate of development that are expected from their babies. Parents should also be able to discern some important things about brain development in babies.

It is often believed that they babies’ brains are already fully developed by the time that they are born but the fact is that they continually develop because new connections among brain cells are being made while others are discarded when no longer needed.
Although the brain development in babies partially depend on the genes that they have inherited, the environment that provides stimulation for the brain to develop plays a vital role. Hence, early interaction among the members of the family with their babies may help a lot in the brain development in babies.

Social interaction as well as simple but intellectually stimulating activities such as singing, playing or reading contribute a lot. Parents should not also forget that proper nutrition is essential for proper brain development in babies as well.

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Baby Vitamin Supplements

April 16th, 2012 Posted in Uncategorized
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There are varying opinions about baby vitamin supplements. Parents must consult with their babies’ pediatricians in order to be advised if they have to give baby vitamin supplements or not. Usually the breast milk or the infant formula has everything that the baby needs from birth up to four or six months. However, there is a need for vitamin D supplement for babies who are breastfed or who drink a lesser amount of infant formula in a day. By the time they reach four to six months old, pediatricians may recommend baby vitamin supplements as they start with their first solid foods.

In some cases baby vitamin supplements are necessary such as among premature babies because they usually have lower birth weight. Breastfeeding or infant formula may not be able to provide all of the vitamins that they require to catch up with the rest of the babies their age. It is also necessary to consider the health of the mother even during before pregnancy. Mothers who have been taking medications may have lesser nutrient content that are in their breast milk. Mothers also have to know about the proper diet that they need to be able to provide for the nutrient needs of their babies.

The baby vitamin supplements that may be needed include Iron, vitamin D, Vitamin B12 and Omega3. There may still be other baby vitamin supplements that pediatricians may recommend to parents depending on the vitamin deficiencies or needs of the babies. Although breast milk and infant formula contain Iron, babies would need more of it by the time they start eating their first solid foods. Parents need to see to it that they are given iron-fortified baby foods such as pureed meats and some kinds of legumes and beans. Iron supplements may be recommended if babies are not able to get enough from the food that they are given.

Vitamin D is one of the baby vitamin supplements that are recommended to newborns. Mothers may only transfer a small amount of vitamin D from their breast milk. This vitamin is produced through the help of sunlight. However, babies cannot be exposed too long to the sun each day. Vitamin B12 is also necessary especially in developing the nervous system as well as to prevent the occurrence of anemia. Likewise, omega3 fatty acid is important for developing the brain and the eyes. Omega3 may however be recommended when the mothers do not eat the right foods that provide this nutrient that can be transferred through their breast milk. These are some of the baby vitamin supplements that may be recommended for the proper developments of babies.

 

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