Baby development | Intellidance

Touch and your Child's Development

When a baby is born, more often than not, doctors will immediately place the infant on the mother’s chest. These first moments of skin-to-skin contact between mother and child begin to nurture the infant’s emotional, physical and cognitive development, while strengthening the infant-caregiver bond.

Touch can be a very powerful parenting tool, especially during the newborn stage. When babies cry, they release a stress hormone, cortisol, which slows brain growth and development. Newborn babies who are held often cry less (thus releasing less cortisol) and sleep more. This relaxed state facilitates early brain development.

Responsive Parenting

Parenting practices vary greatly around the world. As a new parent it can be overwhelming trying to decide what parenting practices will be most beneficial for your child and your family. What is most important? What strategies will have the greatest impact on your child’s development?

Physical Activity Recommendations for Infants

The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) and Participaction have just released their Physical Activity Guidelines for Ages 0-4. This is great news for professionals like myself who have a mandate to increase awareness about the importance of daily movement and play for children.

Although it may seem redundant to put in place guidelines for physical activity for young children who seem to constantly be on the go, there is an increasing prevalence of digital play (TV, computers, video games, and touch devices) being marketed to younger and younger children.

Fuzzy Caterpillar Song- Baby Creeping and Crawling Development

Why I choose to Cha cha cha!

When Bria was born I needed an outlet. I needed to work out. I needed some time to feel like the person I was before I became a mom. I needed to DANCE!

IntelliMoving! Understanding and supporting your baby's creeping, crawling and walking development

Between 6 months to 12 months your baby’s understanding of the world and how she experiences it changes dramatically. Rather then relying on you to move her through her surroundings, your baby will explore and master different locomotor movements that allow her to travel through space. This newfound independence will lead to many new discoveries about her body and the world around her.

Daily tummy time together on the floor ensures your baby will develop the core and spinal strength needed to successfully master locomotor movements. Creeping, crawling and toddling require your baby to use her increasing strength and coordination through body and brain integration as both sides of the body move in unison. You and your baby will both be amazed at what she can achieve when you move and explore together.

Out of Sight Out of Mind: The Development of Object Permanence

I am excited to welcome Liesa McKay to our blog! Liesa works as the studio manager at J'Adore Dance as well as an instructor in many of our programs. Liesa has a degree in Neural Psychology. Her background has been very helpful in the development of our Intellidance Babies classes at the studio. Liesa will be the co-author of our book "Baby Brain Play" which we hope to have available for sale next Spring! Thank you, Liesa, for bringing your expertise and writing to Intellidance!

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We’ve all heard the expression, “Out of sight, out of mind”, but what does it really mean? As adults, when an object is “out of sight”, we know that it still exists, even though we can’t see it, or touch it, or hear it. The same cannot be said however, for babies. For the first few months of their lives, when an object is “out of sight”, in their minds, it ceases to exist!

Knee Bounce Rhymes: Pace Goes the Lady

For this poem sit your baby on your lap facing you holding their hands or around their waist.

Pace Goes the Lady!

Pace goes the lady, the lady, the lady!

(small knee bounces)

Pace goes the lady!

Whoa!

(lean baby backwards)

Canter goes the gentleman, the gentleman, the gentleman!

(bigger knee bounces)

Canter goes the gentleman!

Whoa!

(lean baby backwards)

Gallop goes the horseman, the horseman, the horseman!

(biggest knee bounces)

Gallop goes the horseman!

And falls into a ditch!

(lean baby all the way back to laying down)

Knee Bounce Rhymes: Popcorn Popcorn!

Knee bounce rhymes are a fun way to continue developing the vestibular system and your baby’s sense of balance and core strength. For younger babies, with limited neck strength, lay them across your thighs and make bouncing movements smaller. For older babies with greater neck strength sit them on your lap, holding onto their sides or hands, bouncing as much as they enjoy.