Affectionate mommy, smart baby.

Cuddle time with your baby is fun for a reason. Many reasons, actually – and not just for bonding. The back and forth smiles and funny faces, the frowns, the giggles and loving touches from you are crucial in developing your child’s intelligence, communication skills and a positive sense of self. Experts tell us why.

At about one or two months old, you will realize that your baby has fallen in love with you. She responds to your voice by excitedly turning her head when she hears it.  She may only prefer daddy or mommy to carry her. She’ll look longingly into your eyes, like she doesn’t with anyone else. After a feeding, I recall my own babies would flash me what seemed to be a thank you smile, as if saying, “thanks for breakfast mom!”

By smiling back and responding with my voice to those gestures, experts explain that I was laying the groundwork for my months-old babies’ language skills.

Most parents assume that baby’s first spoken words are what signals language development. In fact, it is those preverbal gestures which start to reveal the growing ability to communicate. When we respond to those gestures, we nurture important aspects of their personality.

Responding to coos and cries builds self-esteem by welcoming baby’s attempts to express her needs. You are also showing how feelings can be part of a dialogue. By fostering this ability to read another person’s gestures and body language, you help him tap into some primal survival skills.

Sharpening these skills at the baby-age can help your child become more attentive and cooperative when she reaches school-age. A child who reads nonverbal cues well can sense when a classmate’s interest is wandering or when teacher is losing patience. Such a child can understand changes in vocal tones and speech patterns and make astute judgements about what she sees and hears.

Making baby feel secure and loved also builds intelligence. By responding to her signals, you give meaning to her experiences. You are letting her know that her actions have an impact. Her mind is going, “So when I do this, she does that. There is a purpose in doing things. The world is logical!”

Playing with your child and responding lovingly to her are the first steps toward creative and rational thinking. Give-and-take games help her grow more physically coordinated as well. While you are rolling that ball back and forth to each other, she’s learning that looking, listening, and reaching can all work together. Games of peek-a-boo teach her object-permanence – that mom can be gone now, but will come back later. By simply enjoying playtime with your baby, you are teaching her to use her body and exercise her mind.

See? Love is powerful in many ways!

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