How Memory Develops for your Baby
In the initial days babies communicate with actions, crying and all sorts of noises to grab the attention of elders. When taken out they scream seeing bright colors, moving objects and are happy going out for a walk. The baby senses that he is not in the usual environment and is out of home.
I’ve noticed this shift of memory when I used to carry my little one back home after a long day in the baby care center. He would smile and laugh aloud seeing his toys and cycle. I’ve seen the quick change in recognizing his father, grandparents only with the voice overheard in the next room. Truly this development in memory is blessed and magical.
Babies have short term and long term memories as they keep growing. Parents play a major role in the memory development of a baby. Baby can be encouraged to memorize through fun loving games and by repeating the process.
Listed below are few interesting ways to develop memory for your baby.
Familiarity and Response
When baby is few weeks old, he will start responding to familiar sounds. The music played before the news on TV will make him turn his head, this indicates that he recognizes sound and people too. If babies are not turning to objects or people and not responding it indicates they have no memory of seeing that earlier. If babies recognize tones and objects, memory has been initiated for the baby. You may have observed your baby staring at certain objects for longer time. The object is new and they are trying to collect details of color, movement etc. If the object is shown and baby does not show attention, certainly he is familiar with it. Baby responds to new stimuli .Now I remember why he craved for new toys always or the toy in the other kids hand.
Delayed Response and Simulation
Deferred imitation or delayed response and simulation is another form of babies memory. When a baby is shown how to play with a toy and the baby does the same act when the baby gets the toy after a gap, it indicates that the memory is good for the baby. As baby grows and is an year old, he replicates most of the activities. Slower response is noticed in few kids. No wonder the saying about parents being role models in the growth and development of a child.
Prenatal Response
Medical science has proved that babies in the womb respond to new sounds and indicate development of short term memory. In the familiar environment there will be no response from the kid. Babies get habituated to the combination of noise and vibration and they only respond to difference in the external situation. The neurons involved in memory of a baby forms at the start of third trimester, making researchers believe that this is the period of actual memory formation in a baby.
Valuable tips on how to develop your baby’s brain
Newborn Baby Response
New born baby can recognize few things they have heard while in the womb. This is an indication that baby has a level of short term memory. Main reason why our elders in the family insists that pregnant women must listen to devotional and pleasant songs, read and listen to stories that have value is to imbibe those qualities and learning’s in the kids. A new born baby responds to only a few voices initially –the mother or granny as their voices are heard frequently from the womb.
Growing Baby Response
When the baby is 6 to 12 months old and is becoming difficult to manage with his naughty pranks, pulling articles, walking all around. You will observe that he is familiar with the flow and remembers the things we had shifted out of his reach the last time. He will be keenly watching that particular area.
Similar examples are the child is happy when he is taken for an evening walk and cries when he is taken to a doctor’s clinic. He relates that place with injections, painful incidents and therefore even if you bribe him with words or articles, he will be fussy. These are few memories each of you can link to in your lives.
By the time baby is one year old, he starts communicating verbally. He will then stop all action and put forward his thoughts and emotions without fear.
Long term Memory Response
Baby is growing and so is the memory recall pattern. Until the baby is 3 years old he has short term memories. The brain structure that holds the memory permanently in the mind is formed only after baby is 3 years old.
Parents involvement in Memory Development
Parents play a major role in the memory development of the baby. Usually elders play games like koo-koo similar to hide n seek. The child will remove the cloth covering the face. You can even hide an object under the mat and you will observe that he is brings out the toy from beneath the mat. You can develop their memory with certain personal items like papa’s dairy or chair, grandpas eye glasses, sibling school bag. This will help him connect with people and the environment, since the ability to communicate is linked with how well he remembers things.
You will notice that he is able to assemble his toys with different shapes and colors. These are signs that your baby is growing and his memory is developing with age. You can improve your baby’s memory with sign language too. He will associate and memorize for eg: barking of dog, crow caw, sounds of pet animals, grand ma’s cough.
Go ahead and conduct your experiments. Have fun with your baby. Observe, learn and do your best to mold a bright kid.
