Interesting Tummy Tyme Facts
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Some Interesting Facts to know:
1.) Human brain is Immature at Birth – only survival mechanisms are fully connected while higher cognitive areas of the brain are not connected but waiting for sensory motor input to connect.
2.) Human brain increased its thinking capacity by folding (adding grooves) eons ago. This increased our thinking capacity by 67% (for comparison, rats have no grooves at all).
3.) Human brain only weighs 25-30% of the adult brain weight while other mammals are born with 60- 90% of their adult brain weight. This difference is due to the added weight of ‘connections’ between brain cells and explains why many animals can stand, walk and even run within minutes or hours of birth while humans will require 6 to 12 months or more to establish these connections.
a. It will take humans up to 5 years to achieve the 90% adult brain weight.
b. Our larger brain size required an earlier birth which meant our brain would be more immature compared to other mammals.
4.) During the FIRST MONTH of life, our brain will increase its connections by 20 fold – about 700 new connections form each SECOND up to 4 years of age – dependent on our experiences/environment.
5.) Our brain develops through connecting one cell to another; it literally GROWS itself depending on what it is experiencing.
6.) 50% of our brain development occurs with the first 6 months.
7.) 70% of our brain development is complete by our first birthday.
8.) The brain’s first concern is NOT LEARNING but SURVIVAL and SECURITY, which are KEY to brain development.
9.) BONDING to a few close people, at least one consistent person, is essential for the brain to feel secure. Prompt, predictable, loving care is CRITICAL for a child’s healthy early brain development.
10.) BONDING grows out of thousands of interactions with the baby’s few close relationships. Genes switch
on and off depending on our EXPERIENCES but are influenced by bonding.
11.) BONDING in the FIRST YEAR is critical because our EMOTIONAL SYSTEMS (LIMBIC SYSTEM) wire (connect) during this time period.
"The quality of your child's first relationships has broader and longer lasting effects than any other factor in your control", Jill Stamm, PhD, Neuroscientist, Bright From the Start.
Things we know about
child development.
Dr. Harvey Karp, pediatrician and author of ‘The Happies Baby on the Block’, states the first 3 months after birth should be called the 4th trimester as human babies are born earlier than other species. Our brains are not fully developed at birth (except for our life support systems) and actually require experience to connect, develop and organize the brain. This ‘experience’ centers around movement and primitive reflexes which guide brain development.
The best movement for young babies begins with Tummy Time! Why is Tummy Time so important? Head control is central to movement control (which also helps brain development). So developing head control is a major step and Tummy Time is key to proper development. Tummy Time affects neck, abdominal and core muscles which are important in postural control and proper development.