Making Smarter Babies

Research on early baby and child development is clear: parents have the ability to influence their childrenâEUR(TM)s intelligence, brain development and even IQ.

Classic research on babies and young toddlers shows that stimulating interactions INCREASE IQ and lack of interaction actually DECREASES IQ. One of the most widely accepted academic studies of the 20th century (Skeels & Dye, 1939) demonstrates how critically important EARLY stimulating interactions are on babies and young toddlers. They found that orphaned infants and young children who were moved to a more stimulating environment actually saw gains in IQ and academic success in later life; while the children who were left in a less enriching environment actually saw decreases in IQ. We can apply this concept to our daily interactions with our babies: build a more enriching environment for your baby and help him improve his brain development. Simple, but very few parents realize how critically it applies during the first 12 months of life.

Another key research study (Hart & Risley, 1995) details that the way parents speak to kids significantly impacts IQ, literacy, and academic success later in life. (one of the 10 basic principles of Innovate Your Baby is to talk to your baby in his language and yours.) Basically, parents who talk to their kids from infancy raise children with more developed vocabularies, language skills, and more academic success. Just by the simple act of talking. This does not really take any additional time for a parent and pays huge dividends. Many parents would talk more to their babies if they only realized the impact this simple act could have for the rest of their childâEUR(TM)s life.

None of this information is new. Skeels and Dye was conducted in 1939 and Hart and Risley did their work over 16 years ago. We have known for years, even decades, that how we interact with our babies makes a profound difference over the course of their lives. So why arenâEUR(TM)t we doing more to help our kids develop more effectively? I believe the answer is that most parents simply donâEUR(TM)t know about the very easy ways they can help develop their babiesâEUR(TM) brains and intelligence. Many parents hear about flash cards, baby genius videos and the latest boutique day care or preschool and think these things will give their child an advantage. Maybe so. Maybe not. What has been proven for decades is that the parents (and grandparents and caregivers) themselves can actually give their child experiences that increase intelligence and IQ. And it is EASY. Scientific research on baby development and the impact of stimulating activities during the early years is undebatable. The experts agree, and their research backs it up, that parents can significantly influence their childrenâEUR(TM)s intelligence, vocabulary, language development and even IQ through their early interactions even from the first day of life.

taken from here