Bath Time is Learning Time for your Baby, Not Just Cleaning Time
The next time
you sing a song to your baby or play with their little toes and fingers notice
how they radiate with happy zealous emotions. Wonder why this happens? Simple
rituals and simple gestures actually have a significant effect on your baby’s
development and growth.
As soon as they are born babies use their sense of
sight, smell, touch and sound to learn about their environment. They enjoy
activities that stimulate their senses, so the nurturing that parents provide
during everyday rituals have a profound impact on their reactions and
development.
Most parents are
aware of the importance of the time spent playing, interacting and bonding with
their child but one of the daily rituals that parents don’t even realize is a
great learning opportunity for babies is bath time. Parent’s become key to this
learning experience through the interactions they have during bath time.
As a baby care
expert, Johnson & Johnson Indiais now advancing new research thatthat
explores the science behind happy, healthy baby development. The research shows
that babies typicallysleep for 16-20 hours in a day and the only time they are
introduced to a new medium is at bath time.
The bath is a place where touch and
smell contributes to your baby’s development. Bathing can also helps relieve
stress in your baby. The sounds, smells and physical contact during bath time
become a magical place for your baby.
Here are some
ways you can create an enjoyable learning experience for your baby during bath
time.
The Magic of Touch
 |
| (Source: http://bestbabybathtub.info/) |
A baby’s first emotional bonds are built from
physical contact, or touch. A simple but powerful way to increase the impact of
touch is through a baby massage, before or after a bath. Giving your baby a
massage on a routine basis during is instrumental to their development and can
lead to improved physiological, cognitive, emotional and social development.
The
consistent and nurturing touch of a parent has benefits beyond the moment - it
can help babies develop self-confidence and the ability to relate to others.
There isn’t a prescriptive method or time
for massaging your baby but here are a few helpful tips:
- · Wait for a time when your baby is relaxed, not hungry or cranky to allow for maximum benefits and enjoyment
- · Consider playing gentle music in the background while you massage & bathe your baby
- · If possible, find a warm room when giving your baby a massage to keep them comfortable
- · Place baby on a soft surface during the massage and be gentle with the water
- · Increase the pressure of your touch to avoid tickling.
Smell Contributes to Lasting Memories
 |
| (Source:http://www.todaysparent.com/) |
Newborns use the sense of smell right
from birth to familiarize themselves with their environment, more than any
other sense. A baby’s brain starts to make learned
associations between scent and the emotional connects within the first few
weeks itself. In fact, babies can
recognize their mothers by smell alone. Smell triggers more emotionally vibrant
memories than other senses.
Pleasant smells, when paired with
the loving touch of a parent, creates powerful positive memories that will last
your baby a lifetime.
Using a bath product such as a cleanser or a lotion with
a fragranced smell provides a rich experience of thoughts, memories and
feelings.
While bath might
seem like just a daily activity with your child it can be so much more powerful.
Bath time helps create a lasting emotional connection between parents and baby by
providing an opportunity to nurture your baby’s ability to learn, think, love
and grow.
For more information please check these informative pages by Johnson's & Johnson's they are loaded with valuable information.
Get Free Updates in your Inbox
Vidya is the owner of V's Little World and mom of a cute little boy. She is freelance researcher as a profession and part-time blogger. She loves to write about recipes, parenting, product reviews, travel etc.
2 Comments
Click here for CommentsGreat article, very helpful, Thanks for sharing!!!!!
ReplyThanks :)
ReplyHi, Thanks for visiting my blog. Please add your comments, your feedback is important for me :) ConversionConversion EmoticonEmoticon