The effect of external environment on the growth of the baby

by Pooja Late so cut

There are two environments that affect the growth of a baby. The womb is the first external environment for a baby is the womb. After the birth of the baby, the first environment that a baby interacts with is the family circuit.

While pregnancy diet is important for a baby grow properly, the external environment is what actually shapes the mind of the child, thereby affecting the behavior greatly. For example, children don’t know fear until they observe a family member responding to a situation with fear. Fear is a learned stimulus.

A mother is the most attached to her baby and she plays probably the most important role in her baby’s life. Since external environment greatly influences a baby’s brain development, a mother has the responsibility of providing the baby proper stimulation to encourage brain development.

Both infants and toddlers learn by interacting with their surroundings. The space in which your baby is growing should be inviting and motivating filled with plenty of materials that can be used to stimulate your baby’s imagination. The presence of a stimulatory environment creates a healthy space for children to explore all the possibilities with respect to fun, challenge, adventure and creativity.

Let us explore the different aspects of environment that results in growth:

Visual environment:

The ability of maintaining good eye contact and also being able to follow objects that are in motion with eyes is an important behavior to consider while evaluating the intellectual development of the child. Moving objects tend to attract the attention of children, stimulating interaction. To encourage this brain stimulating activity, you can hang large pinecones over your baby’s cradles, dangling just enough so that the baby can reach out to them and watch them move.

Auditory environment:

Did you know that babies mostly prefer the sound of humans? It is therefore of paramount importance that you talk to your baby often. It is through hearing that babies learn language. Objects such as rattles, toys and musical boxes can be used to enhance your baby’s hearing skill and also to encourage your child’s way of responding to the sounds they hear.

Somato sensory environment (touch):

It is essential for your baby to learn the different types of textures through a variety of toys and fabrics. There are so many different textures toys can have like soft, course-headed teddy bears, a plush sofa, a soft teddy terry cloth or hard wooden blocks – all of these serve perfectly helpful as stimulants of touch.

Integrated environment:

An environment that is integrated with all kinds of activities that provide with stimulation is good for the growth of your baby. An integrated like this is conducive to the proper cognitive development of your baby. You can even add some fun by keeping items that allow them to discover further like a book is filled with surprises through which the child can further learn more about and identify pictures.

It takes time for parents to understand where their child’s interests lie and to figure out to support their hobbies while helping them stay in the game when it comes to studies. To find out what your child is good at, be prepared to let them try out different things like music, books and poetry, dance, sports, science or outdoors in general! Sometimes it is clear right from the start, sometimes it takes a bit of patience to learn what they are good at. So even if your child doesn’t particularly show interest or inclination towards a particular subject, hang in there! Every child is special and over time as they learn more about themselves, you will too! All the best and happy parenting!

Author’s Bio:

In this article, author Mia tries to shed light on the importance of the external environment of a baby, especially the growing stage. While the pregnancy diet is important, the way that you as a parent interact with your child creates a big impact on how they think as they grow up.