What you may not know is that when humans are born, the brain has 100 billion nerve cells, but there is no connection between cells. As the brain continues to receive information, they grow trillions of brain cell connections called synapses. The human brain develops in an intricate network of cells.

What you might not know is that 90% of brain development happens before kindergarten.

Therefore, helping them stimulate their brain development will be a great wealth that we can give our babies as parents.

When preparing for pregnancy

1. Sufficient folic acid supplement

Folic acid is a B vitamin. Women trying to conceive and in the first trimester need 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid per day. Adequate folic acid supplementation can help prevent major birth defects in the brain and spine of babies.

During pregnancy

2. Quit smoking and drinking, stay away from drug abuse

Toxins such as nicotine and alcohol, or psychological symptoms such as stress and trauma experienced by the mother during pregnancy, such as depression, can pose risks to the baby's brain. Most drug abuse can cross the placenta easily and affect fetal brain development. At the same time, a father's exposure to drugs such as cocaine during spermatogenesis can also affect the brain development and neurobehavioral development of the offspring.

After birth

3. Serve and return

Most commonly, newborn babies cry to express their needs; older babies communicate their needs and interests more directly through smiles, cooing, fingers, etc., which we call "serve". Parents "return" by responding, laughing, or addressing needs. These back-and-forth exchanges are the foundation of early childhood brain development, and children learn how to manage their emotions, deal with stress, and learn skills that lay the foundation for later development.

We sometimes say that children generally do not have memories before the age of 3, so is the return at this stage unnecessary? Quite the opposite. Although children may not have memories, their brains are still working responsibly and creating connections. Without returning, the child's brain structure will be weakened. And when a child receives care from their parents, a positive emotional response, every smile and every hug builds his loving security. This sense of security gives them sufficient confidence to face the pressures and difficulties of their future life, and they all know that they always have something to rely on.

4. Use "parental speech" to communicate

Parental speech refers to the parent's characteristic pleasant voice and elongated endings, and it is interesting to note that parents from all over the world speak in the same way. The speech is usually accompanied by exaggerated facial expressions and elongated vowels, and you can usually see that babies are more responsive to this style of speech. So is there any other communication style to be aware of when speaking parentally?

- Look your baby in the eyes before speaking so he will stay focused and more likely to respond.

- Talk about what you're doing as if you're doing your daily dressing, bathing, diaper changing, like a football commentator.

- Call your baby by his name, although he doesn't associate himself with his name in the first few months, but hearing his name often can also cause an association that makes him realize that this special pronunciation can bring more fun.

- Say simple sentences, two or three words, and lengthen the ending. Don't say "me" and "you", it doesn't make sense to the baby, say "mom", "daddy", "baby".

- Be lively when you are speaking. For example, when you say "Bye bye cat", wave goodbye to the kitten as babies like words that remind them of lively movements. Babies like words that remind them of lively actions. The key words should be exaggerated a little, and write down the words that your baby responds best to after hearing them.

- When talking to your baby, you should also pay attention to your baby's reaction and pay attention to the interaction in order to better stimulate the development of language skills.

- Give your baby the opportunity to talk. When asking questions, give your baby time to answer as if you were really talking to him, pausing every now and then to give him a chance to be able to interject with babbling and shouting sounds. If you are the one talking all the time, your baby may feel impatient.

5. Sing, sing what you know or what you make up

Infant development experts believe that singing influences a baby's language development more than talking, whether it's self-created or ready-made. Don't worry if you're sounding bad or out of tune, because your baby doesn't care; he only cares that it's you who's singing.

If possible, add body movement and finger play to the singing process, which helps babies associate sounds with large and small movements and enhances their learning of rhythm, rhyme, and language patterns, thus promoting cognitive development.

6. Parent-child reading is important

First, you can choose large cloth books with colored books or books that are not easy to tear, or audio books, deformed books, etc., to stimulate your baby's interest in books. When you read to your baby, you can make sounds and actions corresponding to the books, such as making a barking sound when you see a puppy; when talking about elephants and baby elephants, use exaggerated gestures to show the size.

Draw their attention to the matter of reading. While reading, stop from time to time and ask questions or make comments about the pictures or text, such as "Where is the kitten? How cute". Although he may not respond at the moment, but it will lay the foundation for his future response to you.

The more stories you read to him, the more words he will hear and the better their speaking skills will be. And children who read early in life will develop better reading habits and they are more likely to learn to read at the right time in the future.

7. Let's play games together

Play is critical to babies' development, from which they learn to explore, observe, experiment, make mistakes, or solve problems. Parents also build intimacy through playing with their baby, encouraging him to experiment and make mistakes, and helping him learn key life skills such as communication, thinking, problem solving, and getting along with others so that he feels safe, loved, and secure.

Don't think the game is too complicated, it could be peekaboo. When playing peekaboo, you can put your face behind your hands and then show it again. If your baby is happy and giggling, it means he's saying "go on, it's fun." If after a while, he looks away, it means he feels "enough" and it's time to take a break.