Q&A: I want to help boost my baby's brain development. What should I be doing?

Congratulations on having your baby, and good for you for giving extra thought to what you can do for your baby's brain development. Having just passed the 5-month milestone, I would imagine that you're noticing your baby's increasing ability to hold his head up, focus on things, respond to you with smiles and cooing, and start expressing his emotions. In fact, the opportunity to take advantage of all of these fun skills makes it the perfect time to encourage his brain development. However, you're not going to find me following up that statement with a list of things to buy, a checklist of formal lesson plans to implement, or any of a whole host of other "techniques" marketed to parents to boost brain development. Rather, I will let you in on the fact that the very best things you can do for your baby's brain development are quite simple and intuitive.

First of all, it's important to remember that good nutrition, getting enough sleep, and consistent loving interactions may seem general, but all make a difference not only to your baby's overall well-being, but also specifically to brain development. If you're looking for a more "targeted" approach, I can also tell you that there's nothing better than talking with, singing to, playing with, and reading to your baby. Nothing formal. Nothing expensive. Nothing regimented. Simply being in close and loving contact with your baby, letting him study your facial expressions and listen to the varied intonations in your voice, and the bonding experience involved in all of the day-to-day interactions you have with him will contribute more than most parents realize.

I personally have found that most parents are quite comfortable with singing, talking, and playing with their babies, even if they don't realize how much benefit comes from these activities. However, I often find that parents are unaware of both how fun and how beneficial reading to a baby can be, and therefore don't consider doing it until much later. Let me just finish answering your question by saying that I am a huge fan of starting to read aloud early and often, and think it is one of the single best things you can do—both for your baby's brain and to create warm, memorable bonding moments with your baby that will last a lifetime.

Here are 14 great books for Baby and 8 games to help boost brain development.