7 Things Every Mother Should Do for Her Child
Every mother strives to make her child
happy from the very first day of life, showering them with love and providing
comfort and care to give them the best possible start. Achieving this requires
sufficient knowledge of what benefits a child and what may harm them.
Specialists explain that every child
develops differently. Some children master certain skills earlier than others,
while some acquire them later. For example, some children may begin speaking
early but walk later, while others may walk early and speak later.
In general, the first year of life is
extremely important because it is during this period that children acquire many
foundational skills that they will later use to develop more advanced
abilities. Among these early skills is learning sounds, which eventually become
words before speech itself develops, according to the BBC.
Based on scientific and medical
studies, here are seven important recommendations every mother should consider
from the day her baby is born.
Recommendations
For Your Baby’s First Year
First: An infant carefully stares at their mother and the
people around them in an attempt to absorb sounds and learn how they are
produced, according to Dr. Eylem Altuntas, a researcher in speech and language
development at the University of Western Sydney.
Second: Babies begin learning
the foundations of speech at around four months of age. At this stage, they
start remembering sounds, identifying where those sounds come from, and
learning how sounds are formed by connecting what they hear with what they see.
This is why it is important to talk to
your baby, sing to them, and interact with them regularly. Parents should not
ignore infants under the assumption that they understand nothing.
Third: By four months of
age, babies begin actively experimenting with producing sounds. Between six and
twelve months, they start focusing on the sounds they hear most frequently.
During this period, they begin
distinguishing between the voices of their mother and father and can
differentiate familiar voices from strangers. They also start recognizing
common words and associating sounds with meaning.
By the end of the first year, babies
begin precisely tuning their hearing to the sounds of their native language
through a process known as perceptual tuning.
Fourth: According to a study
published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), by the
time a child reaches one year of age, they learn to focus their vision, reach
for objects, and explore the world around them. They also make significant progress
in language, memory, thinking, and emotional development.
Fifth: It is extremely
important to speak with your child, read to them, tell them stories, and call
them by their name regularly. These activities greatly increase their
opportunities to learn language and understand vocabulary and communication
patterns.
Sixth: Parents should hold
and cuddle their babies frequently rather than leaving them in a stroller for
long periods, as happens with many parents today.
Physical affection helps babies feel
loved, cared for, and secure. It also strengthens emotional bonds, builds trust
in others, and contributes to greater emotional stability and self-confidence
as they grow.
Seventh: Always place your
baby on their back when sleeping to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death
Syndrome (SIDS).
Avoid shaking your baby forcefully, as
their neck muscles are still weak and vulnerable to injury. Parents should also
avoid rough or aggressive play, remembering that a baby in their first year of
life is still physically delicate.
For Further Reading:
- Motherhood in the Quran
- How Islam Turns a Mother’s Daily Responsibilities into Worship
- From Motherhood to Nation-Building
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