To interact is to stimulate

Essential information to rememberBy playing with your child, you help his development.

Photo: Claudia Lavigne

Children need a lot of contact with the people around them, especially their parents. From the time they’re born they have everything they need to interact: sight, hearing and touch. As they grow, their ability to interact improves.

You can enjoy great times with your baby while caring for and playing with him. Use those times to stimulate your child’s abilities. Interaction with your child creates a happy relationship that allows your baby to get to know you and learn to predict what comes next. From birth, he needs you to be able to relate to objects and the world around him. You are introducing him to life outside the womb.

Your baby understands language several months before knowing how to express himself. Speak to him, use words to describe what you are doing and your actions. “Look, Mummy’s going to feed you now.” “Daddy is giving you a bath.” Don’t be afraid of repeating yourself; he is taking in what he hears and learning to remember.