During the first year of life babies develop the skills that will translate into the activities they will use for the rest of their lives. Gross and fine motor skills, language, sensory and social skills all are rooted in infancy. While babies develop their skills at different rates, there are common milestones that parents can watch for. Developmental exercises can help to boost a baby's proficiency in some areas and serve as treatment for those babies exhibiting developmental delays. You should consult your doctor if you suspect your baby is slow in certain areas before trying any home remedies.
Language Exercises
There are a number of activities you can initiate with your baby to help her develop language skills, according to the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. Babies learn by mimicking so talk to your baby all the time. Talk while you're bathing, feeding and dressing her. Perform daily sound exercises with infants that focus on vowel and consonant sounds such as ma and ba. Turn exercises into games. Peek-a-boo, clapping and kissing all are effective means to encourage the formation of intelligible sounds. Point to items, animals and people and repeat the name of that object. Use short sentences to put words into context and exercise her cognitive skills for speaking. A three-word sentence such as "Mommy loves baby," that are accompanied by pointing gestures is an effective exercise for comprehension.
Strengthening Exercises
According to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, babies must spend time lying on their stomachs in order to develop their neck, arm and back muscles. Called "tummie time," the exercise also can help to avoid flat spots on the baby's head. Tummie time should be performed while the baby is awake and in an area where she can have room to explore. Place toys and rattles just out of reach and allow your baby to stretch and grab the toy. Leave enough room for her to roll over and work her legs and back muscles to scoot around. Sit on a chair or nearby or somewhere higher than the baby so she will have to raise her head to look at you.
Social Development Exercise
Babies often become anxious around strangers and develop strong attachments to their parents or caregivers to the exclusion of anyone else. They can become clutching and throw fits when their loved one leaves them, sometimes even for a few minutes. Separation anxiety is a normal condition in babies, according to the American Academy of Pediatricians. There are exercises you can do however to help your baby overcome the trauma. You can set up a baby-safe room or partitioned area in a room where you can leave the baby by herself for short periods of time. Tell her you're leaving and then move out of the room. If she cries or fusses, wait a few minutes before returning. Continue with the exercise until she begins to understand that you always come back.
