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44 Hudson Valley Parent ■ July 2014 Baby brain boosters W hen babies are born, their minds are a work in progress, and the first few years are critical for healthy brain development. "Parents play a daily role in promoting life- long health by focusing on positive ways to nurture brain devel- opment, starting in infancy and extending through the toddler years," says Dr. James M. Perrin, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. • Talk to your baby in a respon- sive way, starting at birth. Watch how he responds to your face, focus- es, and moves in time to your voice. • Respond to distress with com- fort. Even in infancy, it's an import- ant way to build a child's confidence that the caregiver is there. • Make eye contact with your child from day one. That could be during play, tummy time or even during diaper changes. • Reading to your child from infancy stimulates language and cognitive skills, builds motivation, curiosity and memory, and stimu- lates language development. • Babies learn best from people, not screens. Through unstructured, unplugged play, children learn to think creatively, problem solve, and develop reasoning and motor skills. • Keep a regular schedule of visits to the pediatrician to ensure your child's physical, mental, and devel- opmental and behav- ioral health is on track. Article provided by State Point New moms