Take this short quiz to test your knowledge about some of the things you can do to enhance your interactions with your infant.

Don’t worry if you don’t get them all right — download Your Child @ Birth to learn more about how to become "Baby Smart."

1. True or False: You can’t spoil an infant.

2. True or False: You can never overstimulate your baby

4. True or False: Routines help to lower your baby’s stress level.

5. True or False: Watching TV stimulates your child’s development, similar to your own talking.

6. True or False: You should start talking to your baby as soon as he begins to make sounds.

7. True or False: The care you provide your infant shapes the person she will become.

8. True or False: The care you provide your baby will affect the development of his brain.

 

Answers  

1. You can’t spoil an infant.

• Answer: True. Responding to your infant’s cries is important not only because it makes him more comfortable but also because it teaches him that he can rely on you to take care of him.

2. You can never overstimulate your baby.

• Answer: False. Overstimulation happens when a baby grows bored or unhappy with an activity or toy. Generally, he will tell you that he is overstimulated by turning his head or crying. At this point, you should stop the activity.

3. Good ways to calm a baby include: A. Singing B. Changing C. Feeding D. Massaging E. Swaddling F. All of the above.

• Answer: F. All of the above. Experiment with different activities to determine which are most calming for your baby.

4. Routines help to lower your baby’s stress level.

• Answer: True. Routines for everyday activities like bathing and feeding help to lower your baby’s stress level by creating a predictable world for her. Routines allow your baby to know that she can expect certain events to happen, give her a sense of control about her world, and help her understand that she can trust you to meet her needs.

5. Watching TV stimulates your child’s development, similar to your own talking.

Answer: False. The “talking” from a television does not offer your baby the same benefits as the sound of your voice. It is the sound of your voice — not just any voice — that will help your baby connect with you and feel the love and affection that she needs to grow and develop.

6. You should start talking to your baby as soon as he begins to babble.

Answer: False. From the time your baby is born, well before he can make sounds or form words, you should talk, sing, and even read to your baby as much as possible. It does not matter that your baby cannot understand what you say or answer you. Every time you make a sound and he looks at you, you have made an important emotional connection.

7. The care you provide your infant shapes the person she will become.

Answer: True. The love and attention you share with your baby from her first moments of life will lay the groundwork for the type of adult she will be. Warmth, love, and affection encourage her to trust in her ability to learn about the world around her, to feel good about herself and her world, and to seek to learn more.

8) The care you provide your baby will affect the development of his brain.

Answer: True. Just as a baby’s body depends on parents for food to grow, his brain depends on experiences to develop. Since most of your baby’s experiences involve interaction with you, the care you provide plays a critical role in forming his brain’s connections.

If you got...

• 7–8 right: Congratulations — you are definitely “baby smart”!
• 4–6 right: Your “baby smart” level is pretty high. Keep learning to become a real expert.
• 2–3 right: Your “baby smart” skills could use some improvement; bornlearning.org can help.
• 0–1 right: Your “baby smart” skills are just beginning. Keep visiting the Born Learning website at bornlearning.org to improve your knowledge.