Did you know that babies . . .
Did you know that babies are born with 100 billion neurons and that brain development is a connecting and pruning process? In the first 2 years of life babies form 1 million new synaptic connections . . . not per hour . . . not per minute . . . but per second (Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University).
During this critical period of dramatic growth of synaptic connections, elaborate brain circuits are forming, and neurons are getting pruned. It is during this period in the first 2 years that a baby’s experiences have the greatest potential to shape the developing brain.
What we do and say around babies really matters. Learn how to support the development of early social communication milestones and encourage the magic of learning.
- Help a family join Baby Navigator so families can track their baby’s milestones from 1 to 24 months, and find out how to support their child’s learning in everyday activities with our Social Communication Growth Charts.
- Learn how simple interactions — in activities parents are already doing each day with their babies — create learning opportunities needed to support brain development. Register for our webinar What Does it Take to Learn to Talk?
- Detecting small gaps early can prevent delays later. Enroll in our course on Social Communication Development in Infants and Toddlers (SC•DIT) and register for our free 6-week SC•DIT webinar series offered 4 times a year. Mark your calendar for the summer series starting on August 2.
Before you say, “let’s wait and see,” think about the million synaptic connections forming each second in a baby’s brain. Starting early to help families support their baby’s learning shapes the developing brain so much easier than intervening later.
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