During pregnancy: Make a massive difference to your baby's intelligence

During pregnancy: How to make a massive difference to your baby’s intelligence

Join the thousands of parents already raising smarter, happier babies with our online baby classes: The Active Babies Smart Kids series. Click here.

GymbaROO-KindyROO kids are excelling academically, emotionally, in leadership roles and on the sporting field. Find us at: GymbaROO-KindyROO

Dr Jane Williams and Bindy Cummings

There are lots of important things to do for yourself and your growing baby during pregnancy, like maintaining a good diet, doing a reasonable amount of exercise and generally staying as healthy as you can… however, by now you know all that. That is not what we are talking about here. This bit of ‘baby prepping’ will take you ONE HOUR yet will make a massive, MASSIVE difference to your baby’s future intelligence, learning ability, sporting ability, confidence and happiness. For your baby’s sake, find the time.

So, you’re in your third trimester. Hopefully the ghastly phenomenon called morning sickness, or all-day sickness in many cases, has ended. The baby is kicking, the prenatal courses are happening and the hospitals, birthing centres, obstetricians, midwives, doulas etc, are looking forward to your imminent arrival. You are accumulating baby ‘stuff’… lots of it, and you may be nesting – or you may think that’s for the birds. You’re reading pregnancy articles, blogs, forums and magazines, you’ve got the apps and generally there is an air of nervous excitement about the impending birth of the new chapter in your life.

All of the above is preparing you in the best way possible for the birth of your baby, which is great, however… there is a crucial bit of ‘baby prepping’ that gets overlooked during pregnancy, and it is one of the most important things that you could be doing right now.

In the weeks and months after your sweet babe is born, the amount of time and energy you will be able to muster for anything other than survival, could often fit inside a thimble… a small one.

Now is absolutely and unequivocally the time for you and your partner to be educating yourselves about what you can be doing to help your baby’s development once he or she is out of the womb, in the earliest days and months of life. Preparing yourself in this way will have a vast and long-lasting impact on your baby’s development and learning ability. This is one of the best gifts you will be able to give your baby.

What babies need are parents who understand development and act on this knowledge

Neuro-scientific studies now confirm that the experiences a child has in the first year of life are absolutely critical for brain development. It is during the first year that much of the essential wiring linked to learning is laid down. A child’s success at school is set in the earliest years. As parents, you are the main influence on your baby’s learning experiences and development. Knowing when, why and what to do with your baby during pregnancy, before your precious little bundle is born is going to have you prepared in a way that will not only significantly enhance your baby’s development, it will also help to make the earliest months a lot less confusing and a lot more joyful.

What happens in the first year not only matters, it matters a lot

Your baby’s brain grows most rapidly in the first 12 months after birth, reaching over half of its adult size (64%), in the first three months. During this first year the brain produces billions of cells and hundreds of trillions of connections between these cells.

There is an exciting and enormous amount of brain growth that can go on in this earliest year if babies are given the learning opportunities.

In the early years, brain connectivity occurs as a result of movement experiences. Babies who have the right early movement experiences in their first year have better coordination, concentration, memory, behaviour and perception as they get older. Introducing the correct movement experiences into babies and young children’s daily lives from the earliest months will have a profound influence on brain growth and intelligence.

These movement experiences and learning opportunities can be started from the earliest weeks after birth and are easy, natural and loving. They are also fantastic for bonding. Babies thrive on activities that are developmentally beneficial and parents thrive when babies thrives. It’s a win–win.

The earlier in your parenting career i.e. during pregnancy, that you and your partner know this important developmental information, the better for everyone. Well educated parents make more confident parents. When you do start to get some playtime, that is, when your baby is not feeding or sleeping and is in a good mood, both you and your partner will know exactly what to do and why.

Don’t panic! We’ve got you covered.

We, at GymbaROO-KindyROO, have put everything you need to know about your baby’s brain and body development, including hundreds of fun and loving activities to do with your baby from birth, into an online video series: The Active Babies Smart Kids Series.

We’ve created this series because we believe that every parent has both the need to have access to this important information. We also strongly believe that every child deserves the chance to be given the best start possible and the correct stimulation to lay down the foundations for later learning, so as they go through life learning is a joy, not a chore.

Watching the parts of this 12-part series for pregnancy will take you little more than one hour. ONE HOUR to make a huge investment in your baby’s future.

You may choose to do all of what we suggest, some or none at all. Your baby is your business and no one should tell you what you have to do, however, at least with this information on board, you will be making well-educated choices.

The series comes highly recommended by paediatricians, doctors, early childhood experts and the Maternal Child and Family Health Nurses Association of Australia. There are thousands of parents and expecting parents enjoying our online videos and raising smarter, happier babies.

Together we can work to make the future brighter, one baby at a time.

How to watch the series during pregnancy

When pregnant, watch the first and last five minutes of each of the 12 episodes.

The first five minutes feature our Bit More on… topics such as: tummy time, baby massage, baby exercise, baby’s balance development, hearing and speech, rhythm and music, and six other equally important areas that relate to your baby’s development. These segments explain the how and why of each of these important developmental area.

The last five minutes feature paediatricians and baby development specialists answering commonly asked questions.

The middle section of each video is full of fun and loving activities for you and your partner to do with your precious little bundle in the weeks and months after birth. This section can wait for now… or you could familiarise yourself with some songs and activities, after all, there is increasing evidence that singing and playing music to your baby whilst in utero helps with neurological development. Read more here.

Of course, once you’re baby is six weeks old you can come along and join all the fun and learning of our Level 1 classes at your local GymbaROO-KindyROO centres. Click the links to find your local centre.

Active Babies Smart Kids – Online Baby Classes

GymbaROO-KindyROO’s online series of baby classes is taking the parenting world by storm! It is highly recommended by doctors, paediatricians, early childhood experts and the Maternal Child and Family Health Nurses Association. This series is being called: “The essential guide for parents”. Join the thousands of parents already learning about their babies development during pregnancy and playing with their babies from birth, in the best way for brain and body development and laying crucial foundations for future learning. What happens in the first year, not only matters, it matters a lot!

Click here: Active Babies Smart Kids online series

Try the first episode FREE: Tummy time + baby fun and development class 1

GymbaROO-KindyROO

Thousands of parents, babies and children are presently involved in our programs and creating rising stars. GymbaROO-KindyROO kids are excelling academically, emotionally, in leadership roles and on the sporting field. Come join all the fun and learning! “GymbaROO – The best decision I ever made for my child.” Classes from 6 weeks old – 7 years GymbaROO KindyROO