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Everything the baby does for the first time is very special. Their first touch, first cry, first smile, starting solids, first teeth, first word, each and every milestone from rolling to talking and the list goes on and on..

 

Have you all ever thought of jotting down any of such great moments before they just go dim??

  

Parenting comes with a number of responsibilities and spending time with our little ones is just one of them. One thing that I have understood after becoming a mother is even when you are not with your baby, they are still observing, listening & learning from the people they are surrounded with.  Their mind is running way faster than we adults can ever imagine.

 

Ours is a joint family and we all in the family have been talking and engaging with our little one from the day one. More people more interaction and thereby more learning. Those eye-contact, babbles as if he understands it and has all the answers, those facial expressions and his complete body language kept us going all day long.

 

At the age of 3 months, he could recognize all of us in the family and at 4 months he was familiar with few of his toys as he could move his head immediately to look at them. By 6 months, he started responding through actions and by making animal sounds when we asked him certain questions, that he had learned watching us.

 

Like any other parent we thought that his first word would be Mummy or Papa but he had different plans. His first words were “Kya Hai Yeh”? when he was in his ninth month.  An extremely overwhelming moment at an unexpected time along with those unexpected words.  One fine morning when I was serving breakfast to my husband, our curious tiny human, looking at his Papa’s plate asked “Kya Hai Yeh”?

 

After that his “Kya Hai Yeh” never stopped, pointing at each and every new thing he would see. We use to get tired answering him but he never failed to ask us again and again until we answered it. I have always heard people saying that children are very curious and they have so much to ask, but it was little unbelievable for us that someone who is still on his knees has started asking questions too. Was he busy involved in making his own dictionary?  What can be the level of his curiosity?

 

I remember the day when we visited the pediatrician for his 12 months check up when the doctor asked us about his milestones to which I added that his dictionary already has so many vocabularies. Infact when I told her about his “Kya Hai Yeh” wala incident, she just didn’t believe us. According to her, it was way too early and that they start with one word initially, but the very next moment TAKSH asked his papa “Kya Hai Yeh” ? pointing at the teddy bear in the clinic.

 

When he completed 10 months, he could speak Mummy, Pappa, Dada, Dadi and so many other small words. He could speak two & three words sentences by the age of one and some more bigger sentences by 15 months.

 

Taksh is now 19 months old and no less than a chatter box. There is so much he can understand by now and just can’t stop talking at all. He can frame sentences very effortlessly. A good Communicator, Listener and an Imitator who knows how to get things done from us, ask for what he wants, follows instructions, gives instructions and so many other things. He likes to help us in small things like bringing, picking, collecting things that we ask him to do. He enjoys pretend play a lot, along with many other games like peek-a-boo, catch-catch etc.. Playing cricket and his Papa’s tabla are his favorite.

 

By each passing day he was getting smarter and this kept me motivated even more to bring out the best in him which will help to channelize his abilities in the right direction at the right time. I personally never missed to keep him busy with my conversations while breastfeeding, bathing, diaper changing, playing, mealtime etc. be it any imaginary story.

 

Below are few pointers that we all followed for our little one and they can be helpful as an advice to new parents:

Spend quality time – It is the best investment you can ever make. Early parent – child interactions contribute positively to the brain development. Take turns when you feel bored but don’t get complacent. Play with them, keep doing different activity, sing poems, spend time like you would like to spend with any of your best friend.

 

Narrate them everything – Talk to them about everything. Not only about their stuff but everything that you would want them to know.  You can talk about place, people, pets, toys or any single new thing that your little one must have come across throughout the day.

 

Strictly no screen time – Screen time at a very early age can have negative effects on their language development along with many other issues. Try to avoid as much as you can but till 18 months it’s a big NO.

 

Read books – Try to spend at least 5-10 minutes daily on reading books together. Any interesting picture book or a story book can be good enough.  This will keep adding to their vocabulary. We started reading books for him when he was 6 months old. “My First Library – Boxset of 10 Board Books for Kids” and “Where Is Baby’s Belly Button” were among the first two books that we introduced to him. Gradually I kept on adding.

 

Show outside world– Let them explore and learn about the world around them. Make a habit of taking them out regularly for at least 15 minutes if not more. Nature has so much to teach to your little ones. Looking at every other new thing will increase their curiosity that will contribute in developing their cognitive skills.

 

Brain Development Games – The more the toy does the less the baby will. Do not introduce electronic toys at the very first time to them. Give them options for open ended play that will encourage imaginative and independent play. Taksh is lucky to have so many beautiful organic wooden toys from his Papa’s shop FunwoodGames

 

Encourage pretend play – Pretend play will be more like a case study for them. Assign them a responsible role and they will enjoy the game.

 

Healthy Diet – Nutrition is one of the important factors in the intellectual development of young children. Their tummy is small and hence every bite counts. Avoid junk, sugar, preservative, highly processed food in all possible ways in their early age. Prefer homemade meals.

 

P.S : If your kid is reaching a milestone early, even before you expected it, doesn’t mean that they will always be early achievers. Every child is different. Some may excel early in few things but may take long for other things and vice a versa. Our advice to new parents is to give them their space and time to grow.

 

All they need is your attention and love. Just love them for who they are and keep doing your bit to help them come out with flying colors in their life.