Brand New Dad » Month By Month » 4 Months Old » Your Baby Learns from Experience

Each brain, like each child, is unique. Here are some things you should know about your baby:

• The brain grows fastest in the first three years of life.
• It's hard to describe how a child's brain develops. It depends on traits that come from the parents. It also depends on the child's experiences. You can influence the part that depends on experience.
• Babies cannot see well when they are born. At four months, your baby's vision has improved. Now she may show interest in objects all the way across the room. Show your baby bright and colorful objects. Move them slowly to help her stay interested in them.
• A baby's hearing develops early. Talk to your baby often. A baby can remember patterns of sounds. She can remember the sounds of a story that you read over and over. She can also remember the sounds of a song. Tell her a rhyme over and over for several days. Read her a story over and over for several days. Or sing the same song for several days with your baby. Watch how she responds.
• Touching your baby gently can help to quiet her or to stimulate her. It depends on how you do it. Massaging your baby gently can help her relax.
• Your baby learns more when you respond to her needs.
• Most infant memories do not last long. Even so, your baby's memory is active.