Use the 'Off' Switch often!

Taken from The Irish Times
By Ronan McGreevy

Prof Stuart Shanker of York University in Canada, who was in Dublin earlier this month said there was no substitute for interaction between parent and child.

His central message was that parents do not need to do anything out of the ordinary, or buy any kind of “educational” DVD to further their child’s development.
Shanker’s views will reassure parents who are bombarded with DVDs, CDs such as Baby Mozart and electronic toys all holding out a promise that they will improve their infant’s development.

“Neuroscience proves that playing, touching, paying attention or talking at a level that comforts the baby, for example, are the building blocks for healthy infant brain development,” he explains.

“These brain-to-brain experiences are vital for sensory and motor development as well as helping the child to self-regulate later on so that he can control and understand temper, emotions, stress or attention span.”

He emphasised the importance of interaction between primary caregiver, either a parent or a guardian, and the child especially in the first year. The baby learns through the caregiver’s expressions, tone of voice, gestures and facial expressions. Babies look to their caregivers to understand new situations. These vital brain stimulations cannot be obtained from watching television or a DVD.