Smart kids are a goal for most parents—brighter babies means a better nursing home when the tables turn. Waiting for kids to enter school before they start learning things is going to leave them far behind many of their classmates. Immediately after birth you can start working on a higher IQ for your little one. Here’s a look at a few ways to boost your baby’s IQ.
Linguistics
Baby talk is impossible to resist—it is a commonality amongst most cultures. While some child psychologists swear you should avoid baby talk at all costs, you’re probably going to slip up a few times. But talk like a normal person most of the time. When your baby makes noises, make noises back. Conversely, respond like you’re having an actual conversation with them. Carry on one sided conversations with your baby is not only going to help them figure out communication and how to speak more easily, it’s going to build vocabulary more quickly.
Equally important to speaking is reading. You can read to your baby even as a brand new infant. Just reading magazines out loud during breast or bottle feeding can help with their vocabulary and linguistic skills. Books hold important morals and eventually the memory of time spent reading books can help get kids hooked on reading when their older.
Social Intelligence
New research shows that media based IQ boosters (apps, movies, etc.) are no substitute for real human interaction. Watching you is how baby learns their cues to responding to other humans. Surprisingly, Forbes reports that pets can be a great social intelligence booster as well. They may not act exactly like humans, but they tend to have emotional responses and their own form of body language. Playing alone with toys isn’t going to do as much for babies as playing with pets or playing with toys and parents; at such a young age, they have little motivation to figure out what toys do.
Easy Changes to Boost IQ
Brains are three quarters developed by age 2. What baby eats and does impacts that little brain immensely in the beginning years. Make sure to include plenty of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids in your baby’s diet. This comes from breast milk and later cow milk is a great source as well.
Good sleep also appears to be essential to brain power for baby. While naps are extremely important during the day, research suggests nighttime sleep is when those little brains really develop. To promote good sleep in your baby, stick to a nightly routine; Forbes reports the most effective is a bath, massage, and reading or lullaby.
