Early Learning For Your Baby Begins At The Fetal Development Phase

During pregnancy, your body begins to change in preparation for bringing a new life into the world. Part of the preparation is laying the brain building blocks for your bundle of joy while the child undergoes fetal development. An article on BrillKids.comexpounds on the importance of early brain stimulation to the development of a child:

“YOUR BABY IS BORN WITH MOST OF THE BRAIN CELLS SHE WILL EVER HAVE, BUT DURING HER FIRST 12 MONTHS IN THE WORLD, HER BRAIN WILL BECOME INCREASINGLY COMPLEX. BY THE TIME SHE REACHES THE AGE OF TWO, HER BRAIN WILL ALREADY BE 75 PERCENT OF ITS ADULT WEIGHT. BY THE AGE OF THREE, IT WILL HAVE REACHED 90 PERCENT OF ITS ADULT WEIGHT.

ALMOST 50 PERCENT OF THE BRAIN CELLS YOUR BABY IS BORN WITH WILL WITHER AND DIE DURING THE FIRST FEW YEARS OF LIFE. THIS PROCESS, KNOWN AS NEURAL PRUNING, ORGANIZES THE BRAIN AND MAKES IT MORE EFFICIENT.”

The fetus’ brain starts functioning early in the pregnancy even though cognitive functions are still not complete. Neurons, or the nerve cells that comprise the brain, start coming together around a month into the pregnancy. The number of neurons accelerate their formation to around 200 billion by the time of birth, with each neuron packing dendrites that can make up to 15,000 synapses, or connections with other neurons. (Think of a synapse as the spark that arises when the ends of two electric wires are connected; the wires’ reactions enable stimulation of the entire electric circuit.)

the-science-of-easy-learning

In that sense, using a prenatal audio system like the BabyPlus can help jumpstart auditory learning and bolster brain function at various prenatal development stages.

A newborn child’s brain weighs around 12 ounces but increases to 2.2 pounds by the time he or she turns a year old. The extra weight comes from the additional brain mass which develops within 12 months to produce the neurons that will handle specific body functions and cognitive skills.

With such a large number of neural pathways, the level of activity the baby is able to participate in after birth determines which of them would become fully functioning and which would be rendered inactive. Once some of the permanently inactive neurons are severed, the brain is able to devote extra resources to keeping the more active neurons at peak capacity. The neurons that are continuously stimulated may expand into more branches.

With studies finding that early brain stimulation gives children advantage in later years in life, parents recognize the need to educate their child early on by talking to them, teaching them skills, and using prenatal programs like BabyPlus. Early and proper stimulation helps advance children’s learning capabilities.

 (Source: The Science of Early Learning, Brill Kids)

FacebookTwitterDeliciousLinkedInStumbleUponAdd to favoritesEmailRSS

The post Early Learning for Your Baby Begins at the Fetal Development Phase appeared first on blog.babyplus.com.

Three Important Things To Consider When Playing Music For Baby In Womb

Since mothers want their babies to grow up healthy and smart, they obtain comprehensive prenatal care services for a trouble-free pregnancy. Some also play music for baby in the womb with the hope of promoting their child’s mental development. The Washington Post writer Meeri Kim reports on a research’s findings that babies in utero do recognize the music played by their expectant moms.

“THE RESEARCHERS HAD 10 EXPECTANT MOTHERS PLAY “TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR” LOUDLY MULTIPLE TIMES PER WEEK THROUGHOUT THEIR LAST TRIMESTER OF PREGNANCY. A FEW DAYS AFTER BIRTH, THEY TOOK ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAM, OR EEG, RECORDINGS OF EACH NEWBORN’S BRAIN BY USING 12 ELECTRODES SCATTERED OVER DIFFERENT REGIONS OF THE HEAD.

UPON HEARING THE LULLABY AGAIN, THEY HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LARGER BRAIN RESPONSES THAN A CONTROL GROUP OF NEWBORNS WHO HAD NOT BEEN EXPOSED TO THE SONG. THE EXPERIMENT WAS REPEATED AFTER FOUR MONTHS WITH SIMILAR RESULTS.

STUDY CO-AUTHOR AND UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI PSYCHOLOGIST MINNA HUOTILAINEN REFERS TO THIS PHENOMENON AS “PRECONSCIOUS LEARNING.” THE BABIES HAVE NO AWARENESS OF IT — NO “OH, THAT OLD SONG FROM MY INTRAUTERINE DAYS”—BUT SOMEHOW THEIR BRAINS CAN STILL PICK UP ON THE FACT THAT THEY HAVE HEARD IT BEFORE.”

Playing music for in-utero babies is nothing new. In fact, doing so is commonplace that even a popular media management software offers several albums designed specifically for that purpose. Moms-to-be who intend to follow this practice, however, must take into account three critical points first.

newborn-babies-in-study-recognized-songs-played-to-them-while-in-the-womb

Type of Music

Most expectant mothers prefer classical music over any other type of music for their unborn baby. However, pediatric specialists say any type is suitable. A good option to add to the in-utero baby’s repertoire is natural womb music that mimics the rhythmic and comforting sound of the mom’s heartbeat.

Volume

Playing music on speakers is recommended. However, if headphones are used, moms-to-be should remember not to turn up the volume too loud as this can stress their unborn child more than soothe them. The ideal volume is below 60 decibels (an iPod or iTouch can produce up to 115 decibels). The sound level of the womb’s continuous maternal bloodpulse is 95 decibels.

Duration

Pediatricians recommend that expectant moms practice prenatal music stimulation in moderation, ideally during their rest or nap time. Overstimulation won’t cause physical harm to the unborn baby, but it could overwhelm him or her. Meanwhile, natural womb sounds can be played for as long as one hour, twice a day.

Mothers want the best for their kids, and who’s to say that they can’t start early? These days, they have the option of making their unborn child listen to music through headphones, or to womb sounds through an especially designed electronic device that is placed onto the mom’s abdomen, available from prenatal education specialists like BabyPlus.

(Source: Newborn babies in study recognized songs played to them while in the womb, washingtonpost.com)

FacebookTwitterDeliciousLinkedInStumbleUponAdd to favoritesEmailRSS

The post Three Important Things to Consider when Playing Music for Baby in Womb appeared first on blog.babyplus.com.

Music For Baby In The Womb: Soothing Your Mind And Guiding His Growth

People generally have an ingrained ability to appreciate soothing sounds and good music, a characteristic that usually manifests from early childhood. This isn’t instinct, though; it’s more of an advanced cognitive function that sets humans apart from animals, or from their less-evolved ancestors. For this reason, many people believe that music for a baby in the wombcan actually help facilitate learning and foster development.

the-benefits-of-prenatal-music

Prenatal Memory

The prenatal stage is a critical time in child growth and development, especially when it comes to the child’s senses. Studies in the field of fetal psychology suggest that babies still in the womb can already respond to stimulus from the environment outside, and can already hear by the end of the second trimester.

Into Childhood

Experiments have been conducted wherein prenatal sounds and music were consistently administered by the mother. By the time the babies come out into the world, they are able to recognize and, in fact, sleep more readily when the same music they were exposed to in the womb was played.

Cognitive Development

Exposure to music, in turn, could potentially lead to better cognitive development, as Adrianne Godart explains in her article in the Expectant Mothers’ Guide website:

WILFRIED GRUHN, EMERITUS PROFESSOR OF MUSIC EDUCATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MUSIC IN FREIBURG, GERMANY SAID IN AN ARTICLE PUBLISHED BY THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR MUSIC EDUCATION THAT, “MUSIC STIMULATES THE GROWTH OF BRAIN STRUCTURES AND CONNECTS MANY ACTIVATED BRAIN AREAS. LEARNING IS BASED ON THE PLASTICITY OF THE BRAIN, WHICH IS THE MOST POWERFUL IN THE EARLY YEARS; HOWEVER, IT KEEPS GOING OVER THE ENTIRE LIFE SPAN. BRAIN DEVELOPMENT IS BASICALLY DETERMINED BY ITS GENETIC DISPOSITION, BUT ITS INDIVIDUAL STRUCTURE DEPENDS ON USE. THE BRAIN DEVELOPS ACCORDING TO HOW WE USE IT. ALL EXPERIENCES ARE STORED IN THE BRAIN AND INFLUENCE ITS NEURAL STRUCTURE.”

Stress Relief

Mothers would be happy to know that prenatal music not only soothes their baby, but also relieves undue stress throughout their pregnancy. Of course, when they are stressed, their body produces hormones called glucocorticoids, which could cross over through the placenta into the baby, potentially affecting the growth of his or her heart and liver.

Prenatal rhythms from sources like BabyPlus can help make the child grow up to be the best he or she can be. With a child’s physical, mental and emotional development at stake, it’s only fair that mothers play soothing music for babies in their wombto ensure a more balanced development in their children.

(Source: The Benefits of Prenatal Music, Expectant Mothers’ Guide)

FacebookTwitterDeliciousLinkedInStumbleUponAdd to favoritesEmailRSS

The post Music for Baby in the Womb: Soothing Your Mind and Guiding His Growth appeared first on blog.babyplus.com.

Prenatal Music For Your Baby: Taking Full Advantage Of Its Benefits

You’ve probably also heard about the benefits of allowing your child to listen to prenatal music. You might have even made a mental note of a few places where you can buy a couple of classical music CDs to try out.

Of course, the “effectiveness” of letting your baby listen to prenatal music is highly dependent on how you go about it. If you implement this practice in the right way, the wonders it can do for your baby may be limitless. Here are a few things to keep in mind to take full advantage of prenatal music:

should-you-read-to-your-unborn-baby

Volume Limit

Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to crank up the volume so your baby can hear the music better. According to experts, the fluids in the womb serve as a great sound conductor. Playing music at high volumes could lead to irritability and could even cause hearing impairment.

Timing

As to when you should start using a trusted prenatal sound system like the BabyPlus Prenatal Educational System, experts say your 18th week is the recommended time. By this time, the baby’s hearing is almost fully developed, enabling him or her to differentiate sounds.

In terms of actually listening to music, there is no right or wrong time to listen to music. However, the best time to do so would be when you are taking the time to rest as well. During this time, your baby is less exposed to cortisol (stress hormone), allowing them to associate the music with more pleasant feelings.

Variety

It is often said that “variety is the spice of life”, and that definitely holds true when it comes to playing prenatal music. According to an article by Dr. Oz, you should try playing different types of music, as well as talking to your baby:

“THIS WILL HELP STIMULATE BABY’S SENSES AND IMPROVE HIS BRAIN DEVELOPMENT. EXPOSURE TO DIFFERENT SOUNDS AND SCENES IS ESSENTIALLY WHAT HELPS ESTABLISH CONNECTIONS FROM ONE SET OF NEURONS—THE NERVE CELLS OF THE BRAIN—TO ANOTHER. THIS IS HOW WE ALL LEARN. THESE NEURAL STRUCTURES ARE SHAPED LIKE A TREE AND ROOT SYSTEM. A BABY’S BRAIN IS EXTREMELY PLASTIC, MEANING THAT IT CAN CONSTANTLY ADAPT AND MAKE NEW CONNECTIONS BETWEEN TREES.”

(Source: Should You Read to Your Unborn Baby? Oprah.com)

FacebookTwitterDeliciousLinkedInStumbleUponAdd to favoritesEmailRSS

The post Prenatal Music for Your Baby: Taking Full Advantage of its Benefits appeared first on blog.babyplus.com.

Early Child Development Stages: Advantage Of Prenatal Aural Stimuli

Exposing your baby to certain sounds while still in the womb could lead to wonderful things after the baby’s birth. Patricia Hughes explains, for More4Kids:

“TOYS, MUSIC CDS AND OTHER MERCHANDISE DESIGNED TO PROVIDE MUSIC TO UNBORN AND NEWBORN BABIES TOUT THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF MUSIC ON DEVELOPING BABIES. EXPECTANT PARENTS MAY WONDER IF THEY SHOULD PURCHASE THESE PRODUCTS, OR FEAR THEY ARE PUTTING THEIR BABY AT A DISADVANTAGE IF THEY DON’T LISTEN TO ENOUGH, OR THE RIGHT KIND OF MUSIC. EXPERT OPINIONS VARY REGARDING WHETHER MUSIC HAS A POSITIVE EFFECT.”

The potential for kids to have an ear (no pun intended) for music during the early stages of their lives may be due to their mothers being musically inclined while carrying them in the womb. A fetus’ ears start forming at four months and are complete by six months; your baby’s adventure with sound can begin at that point. One way you can apply aural stimulation before and during the child development stages is by using an audio system like BabyPlus.

pregnancy-and-the-effect-of-music-on-the-fetus

The BabyPlus Prenatal Education System introduces patterns of sound to the fetus based on the sound he or she is most familiar with: your heartbeat. Experts noted that amniotic fluid carries sound to the fetus. It amplifies low-pitched sounds and muffles high-pitched ones.

Two of the more common sounds your child listens to are your voice talking and your heartbeat. Your child’s developed ears and sensory functions enable him or her to react to these sounds.

Hughes states that the music’s volume and manner of playing can have mixed results in the baby’s development. For instance, using headphones while listening to fast, upbeat tunes at a slightly higher volume may come across as too loud for the baby.

Using a prenatal audio system like BabyPlus right over the abdomen is meant to stimulate the brain through prerecorded natural sounds. A scientifically based program emitted from the BabyPlus system will help you create the proper scheduling, volume and timing of its use. Remember, though, that the use of the system is optimal beginning when you are halfway through your pregnancy, as your child’s ears would be almost fully developed by then.

Effective use of prenatal audio programs is seen to make a difference later during the infant development phase. Hughes says the music helps generate more stimuli in the brain from the baby’s response to gentler sounds. In turn, the increased brain stimulation could lead to better cognitive and motor skills for the baby, and to early-than-normal manifestations of language capabilities.

(Source: Pregnancy and the Effect of Music on the Fetus, More4Kids)

FacebookTwitterDeliciousLinkedInStumbleUponAdd to favoritesEmailRSS

The post Early Child Development Stages: Advantage of Prenatal Aural Stimuli appeared first on blog.babyplus.com.

Language And Music For Baby In The Womb As Part Of Pregnancy Care

Pregnancy and childbirth are life-changing experiences that require proper attention and care from both expectant mother and father. The roughly 40-week journey can prove physically and emotionally taxing for both parents-to-be. Before such changes cause more harm than good to the baby, proper prenatal education is needed.

7-tips-for-having-a-natural-childbirth

In an article about prenatal care written for FitPregnancy.com, contributor Jeanne Faulkner, R.N. provides simple yet crucial tips on how to surmount challenges related to childbirth. The article focuses on natural birth, which according to Faulkner, offers more benefits, particularly by eliminating the potential negative effects of pain management on babies. Here’s an excerpt advising expectant mothers to get properly educated about their pregnancy.

GET A SOLID PRENATAL EDUCATION
SEEK OUT CLASSES THAT INCLUDE HOW LABOR AND BIRTH WORK AND NATURAL LABOR PAIN MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES, SUCH AS BREATHING, SELF-HYPNOSIS, RELAXATION AND OTHER COPING MECHANISMS. YOUR HOSPITAL PROBABLY OFFERS AN EVENING OR WEEKEND COURSE, BUT THAT MIGHT NOT BE ENOUGH INFORMATION, ESPECIALLY IF THEY HAVE A HIGH EPIDURAL OR C-SECTION RATE. INSTEAD, RESEARCH INDEPENDENT EDUCATORS. TRY A FEW DIFFERENT CLASSES OR STYLES UNTIL YOU FIND ONE THAT FEELS LIKE A GOOD FIT.”

In addition to having a safe and healthy natural childbirth, the goal of proper prenatal care is to ensure that the baby will have mental, emotional, and physical wellness throughout his life. During the prenatal period, the baby’s development and future are being shaped. The most effective prenatal care systems include well-defined auditory exercises, which involve letting the child listen to a series of music for baby in the womb. As is widely known, the right kind of music can help soothe and relax not just the unborn baby but the mother as well.

The relationship between music and the speaking voice is a very close one. Both share many of the same elements, such as rhythm, pitch, and timbre. Music can then be a pre-cursor to language training. However, the mentioned elements of language are best captured in a series of tones that have been especially created to conform to the prenatal baby’s developing auditory skills.

In addition to soothing womb music, mothers can also expose their babies to a series of tones developed to help along a baby’s cognitive development. A prenatal education system, like that formulated by BabyPlus.com, has been found in various research to effectively teach the baby to distinguish among various tones, as his abilities progress in the womb. A program such as this ensures that the sounds the baby hears have been carefully arranged into a curriculum that provides optimum cognitive learning effects.

(Source: 7 Tips for Having A Natural Childbirth, FitPregnancy.com)

FacebookTwitterDeliciousLinkedInStumbleUponAdd to favoritesEmailRSS

The post Language and Music for Baby in the Womb as Part of Pregnancy Care appeared first on blog.babyplus.com.

Correct Prenatal Care: Does Music For Baby In The Womb Make Sense?

The prenatal period is among the most important stages in the human lifecycle. This is where a person’s behavior, physical characteristics, and health conditions are profoundly defined. Expectant mothers are advised to get prenatal education to be able to meet the ideal requirement for having a mentally, emotionally, and physically healthy baby. One popular notion is using music for baby in the womb.

the-effects-of-music-on-prenatal-babies

Many experts believe that music can effectively stimulate the baby’s brain and emotions. In the excerpt below from an article for LiveStrong.com, writer Bridget Coila explores findings from various studies to discuss the link between music and a baby’s development.

MUSIC AND DEVELOPMENT
ACCORDING TO BABY CENTER, THE TRUE EFFECT OF MUSIC ON PRENATAL DEVELOPMENT REMAINS UNKNOWN. A LOOSELY-CONTROLLED PRELIMINARY STUDY IN THE “MUSIC EDUCATORS JOURNAL” IN 1985 FOUND THAT BABIES EXPOSED TO MUSIC BEFORE BIRTH HAD LONGER ATTENTION SPANS THAN EXPECTED FOR THEIR AGE AND IMITATED ADULT SOUNDS BETTER. ANOTHER SMALL STUDY IN 1997 IN “PRE- & PERI-NATAL PSYCHOLOGY JOURNAL” LOOKED AT BABIES ENROLLED IN A PROGRAM CALLED FIRSTSTART, WHICH EXPOSED UNBORN BABIES TO MUSICAL STIMULATION. THESE BABIES SHOWED BETTER MOTOR SKILLS, LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT AND COGNITIVE SKILLS FROM BIRTH TO SIX MONTHS THAN THE CONTROL GROUP OF BABIES. HOWEVER, BECAUSE THESE STUDIES WERE SMALL AND HAVE NOT BEEN REPEATED, THE QUESTION OF WHETHER AND HOW MUCH MUSIC AFFECTS UNBORN BABIES REMAINS UNDER INVESTIGATION.”

While the idea that music is good for babies in their prenatal stage is supported by many testimonies, this isn’t something that expectant parents must apply without care. In fact, they should not try it without recommendations from health practitioners who have experience and training in providing auditory exercises for fetuses.

What is well known, however, is that soft music produces “white noise”, which, along with everyday sounds surrounding the mother, can help soothe and relax the baby. How much the right music for babies in the womb can stimulate cognitive learning, if at all, is still subject for debate.

Meantime, various research studies have shown that a specially developed curriculum of tones for pre-natal babies, such as that provided by BabyPlus.com, are most effective in teaching the baby pattern recognition. The incremental speed and complexity of the tones in the Baby Plus Prenatal Education System “teaches” prenatal babies to recognize and distinguish sounds, which is the most basic step in cognitive and critical learning.

(Source: The Effects of Music on Prenatal Babies, LiveStrong.com)

FacebookTwitterDeliciousLinkedInStumbleUponAdd to favoritesEmailRSS

The post Correct Prenatal Care: Does Music for Baby in the Womb Make Sense? appeared first on blog.babyplus.com.

Choose Prenatal Music Wisely: Babies Recognize Them From The Womb

In August 2013, researchers at the University of Helsinki, Finland released the results of a study, reinforcing the belief that babies can hear while in their mothers’ womb. NBC News correspondent Meghan Holohan writes about the research conducted on 33 expecting mothers, half of whom listened to a recording of made up words, while the other half did not.

“THE MOMS AND BABIES HEARD THE NONSENSE WORDS ABOUT 50 TO 71 TIMES. FOLLOWING BIRTH, THE RESEARCHERS TESTED THE ALL 33 BABIES FOR NORMAL HEARING AND THEN PERFORMED AN EEG (ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPH) BRAIN SCAN TO SEE IF THE NEWBORNS RESPONDED DIFFERENTLY TO THE MADE-UP WORDS AND DIFFERENT PITCHES.

BABIES WHO LISTENED TO THE CD IN UTERO RECOGNIZED THE MADE-UP WORDS AND NOTICED THE PITCH CHANGES, WHICH THE INFANTS WHO DID NOT HEAR THE CD DID NOT, THE RESEARCHERS FOUND. THEY COULD TELL BECAUSE THEIR BRAIN ACTIVITY PICKED UP WHEN THOSE WORDS WERE PLAYED, WHILE BABIES WHO DIDN’T HEAR THE CD IN THE WOMB DID NOT REACT AS MUCH.”

The findings suggest that babies who are exposed to consistent prenatal music while in the womb stand a better chance of developing their language skills as they develop. Other studies have also identified the kind of music that works best both for adults and babies, including pre-natal ones. After all, music can affect the human mind in a variety of ways, sometimes defying logic.

unborn-babies-are-hearing-you

Kathy Henderson, author of Hush, Baby, Hush, a children’s book on lullabies, says lullabies also have a calming effect on adults. The brain favors soft, harmonious music, especially one that starts slowly, rises in tempo at the middle, and finishes softly or slowly again. This type of harmony induces the feeling of comfort and compassion that the baby experiences from the mother’s womb.

Additionally, a study by Kawakami et al. (2013) revealed that listening to sad, somber music can actually be used to improve mood, mainly because this type of music induces a mix of positive and negative emotions for cathartic effect. That said, music’s effects on pre-natal babies could be varied as well, highlighting the need to identify and choose the right kind of music to expose these babies to.

Pre-natal babies’ abilities to recognize, discriminate, and recall various sounds, however, can go beyond their early exposure to music. A full audio-learning program for pre-natal infants, like that designed by BabyPlus, offer their own enriching benefits. An effective prenatal sound system can provide good foundation for a baby’s future cognitive skills and behavior. As the baby learns to distinguish a variety of sounds while in the womb, it also starts to learn the basics of communication and language.

(Source: Unborn babies are hearing you, loud and clear, Today, August 26, 2013)

FacebookTwitterDeliciousLinkedInStumbleUponAdd to favoritesEmailRSS

The post Choose Prenatal Music Wisely: Babies Recognize Them from the Womb appeared first on blog.babyplus.com.