The joy of parenthood is exceptional, and with that joy comes the responsibility of wanting to be the best parents. As first-time parents, there are so many different forms of advice that come to you, be it from your own parents and grand-parents, neighbors, friends, acquaintances- solicited and not so welcome ones😊

Raising kids and making sure of their physical as well as cognitive development starts as early as the time when you have conceived.

I remember, during one of my visits to my Gynecologist, me being a big movie buff, he had advised me against watching too many loud movies in the theatre.  Also, adults have time and again stated the importance of eating right, listening to chants and meditative music during pregnancy. In my early days of pregnancy, while I followed all the advice, I didn’t take it as seriously as I should have.

But as I continued reading, I came across the concept of FeedIQ and interacted with some experts through the #FeedIQChatter program and realized the importance of the Parents role as well as that of the environment on our Baby’s physical as well as mental development. These are not just random thoughts or tips, but advice coming from experts after lots of research and experience.

Role of nutrition

Nutrition is of utmost importance when it comes to your baby’s development and no wonder there is so much stress given to it. Mothers need to follow a balanced diet along with natural vitamin E sources during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. If a mom is unable to receive enough nutrients through natural sources, she can also consider taking supplements like SimMom IQ+ that not only aids baby’s brain development but also his/her digestion and immunity.

Also, equally important is the baby’s nutrition, starting with breast milk being the best during the initial months and with brain boosting foods once they start weaning.

Role of the environment

While nutrition is of utmost importance, the environmental factors play a very important role in the cognitive development of the babies. Here are some tips, that will help you to take advantage and create favorable environmental conditions to accelerate your baby’s mental development.

1. Family bonding is one of the driving environmental factors that helps in cognitive development. Relationships between parents, the amount of interactions with the children, the level of interactions, time spent with them, are all responsible in shaping up the baby’s cognition. Children, with whom parents spend time playing, doing different activities together, going out together have a better mental and emotional health than children who are left to watch the TV all day or spend time on their own.
2. The activities that you keep your babies occupied with are equally important. If the kids are engaged in certain brain stimulating activities, it helps them develop different mental capabilities like reasoning, logic, etc. These activities also assist in physical growth and development of gross and fine motor skills
3. The physical surroundings are important. This does not mean having a huge lavish home r state of the art school facilities, but a clean and comfortable home and school that they feel safe and loved in.
4. A positive attitude from all those around the children is another booster when it comes to how the children grow. An environment of positivity around the children helps them deal with all kinds of situations and be stronger mentally as they grow.

This balanced combination between the nutrition and environment is really what provides that jump start towards your baby’s development and should be spread and followed as much as we can.