22 Ways To Boost Your Baby’s Brain Development

As parents, we all want to support our children as they grow, learn, and explore the world around them. While we can’t determine our baby’s future interests or abilities, there are many simple ways to encourage healthy brain development from the very beginning.

From nutrition during pregnancy to reading, routines, and play-based learning, everyday interactions can help strengthen your baby’s cognitive growth and development. Understanding important milestones and incorporating brain-boosting activities can help support your child both now and in the years ahead.

Signs of Healthy Development in Babies

If you’re trying to gauge your baby’s brain development, get familiar with where they are with developmental milestones.¹ Every child will be different and meet milestones on their own time. However, there are guidelines to help you and your medical providers gauge how much support they may need. Here are a couple of emotional and social developmental infant milestones to keep an eye out for:²

• Between 1 and 3 months, babies often begin reacting to faces and voices, smiling, giggling, and cooing²
• Between 4 and 6 months, babies may explore objects with their mouths, bang toys together, and track moving objects²

Keep in mind that there are many ways you can support your child’s development. The best part is that you may be planning to do (or already do) many of these infant activities and practices.

Related: Baby Milestones Month by Month: Your Baby’s First Year Guide

7 Superfoods To Fuel Baby’s Brain Development

Before your baby is even born, there are nutrients and superfoods you can introduce to aid in your baby’s brain development. According to the Journal of Pediatrics, the period from conception through the first three years of life is prime time for brain development.³ Let’s explore seven ways to fuel your baby’s brain power through food:

Foods for Mom

Certain nutrients during pregnancy can help support your baby’s early brain and nervous system development. You can start by eating the right foods yourself, including:

1. A prenatal vitamin: It’s recommended to take a daily prenatal vitamin. The iron and folic acid in these vitamins support placental development and prevent neural tube defects, respectively.⁴
2. Omega-3s: Eat foods rich in omega-3, like fatty fish, seeds, and eggs. The healthy fats and proteins in these foods support long-term memory development.^5,14
3. Vitamin B: Eat foods rich in vitamin B, such as nuts, pork, and whole-grain pasta.¹³

If you’re looking for additional support and advice on your diet during pregnancy, ask your medical provider for recommendations for a nutritionist. Additionally, visit ACOG’s website for general questions about and recommendations for a healthy pregnancy diet.⁵

Related: 25 Best Foods To Eat During Pregnancy for a Healthy Baby

Foods for Baby

Once your baby begins eating solids, several nutrient-rich foods can help support healthy cognitive development.⁶

1. Yogurt: Greek yogurt especially gives them a boost of vitamin B.⁷
2. Nuts and seeds: The protein from nuts (such as walnuts and cashews) is excellent for development. It also helps with long-term memory.
3. Leafy green vegetables: Iron found in many leafy green veggies, like spinach and kale, positively impacts the hippocampus, the part of your baby’s brain in charge of memory and learning.
4. Beans: Several varieties (like kidney, pinto, and soybeans) contain nutrients like zinc, protein, iron, folate, and choline, which the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee recommends for healthy brain development.¹⁵

It’s also important to know that breastfeeding is one of the best ways to boost brain development. In fact, one study found a correlation between higher breast milk intake and higher IQ, better math skills, and better working memory in 7-year-old children.¹²

8 Ways To Support Your Child’s Brain Development

Many classic childhood games and activities naturally encourage learning, memory, and problem-solving skills. Depending on your child’s age, the complexity of these activities can vary:⁸

1. Read to them: Reading together increases their vocabulary and builds literacy skills.
2. Sing to them: Singing together supports the development of strong memory and language skills.
3. Make eye contact: Research shows that making eye contact with your little one encourages them to make sounds to communicate.⁹
4. Practice naming shapes and colors: This is something your child can do independently or something you can do together when they’re younger. When you hold up colors or shapes and name them, it sharpens their cognitive skills.
5. Learn through play: This is especially effective for young children. It allows them to build problem-solving skills and increase their imagination and creativity.
6. Make faces: Even when your child is an infant, smiling at them and making faces sets the foundation for them to recognize emotions.
7. Play with noise-making toys: These toys help them develop problem-solving skills. For instance, they may connect that a certain toy makes a certain sound.
8. Play the name game: For example, when you touch and talk about parts of their body, like their hands or their feet. You can talk about what feet do and count their toes.

Related: Games for Kids That Help With Development

7 Cognitive Activities To Support Brain Development

The great thing about children’s cognitive needs is that many of them can be met and supported through beloved and classic games. Make learning and brain-building activities fun for both of you! Here are seven cognitive activities for infants to try:¹⁰

1. Play matching games: These games and activities strengthen your infant’s analytical, communication, and concentration skills.
2. Play peek-a-boo: This game helps your little one develop the cognitive skill called “object permanence.” This is when your child understands that even though they can’t see an object, it still exists. They’ll continue to look for it, even when you cover it up.⁸
3. Play with different textured and sized toys: Learning through play with activities involving touch helps infants discover the world around them.
4. Create and follow routines: Building routines greatly benefits your little one’s developing brain. It’s a key part of learning self-regulation, which will help them now and in the future.
5. Expose them to nursery rhymes: Activities involving nursery rhymes support your baby’s cognitive growth, vocabulary, and articulation.
6. Do arts and crafts: These activities involve endless opportunities for learning, growth, and brain development, including critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
7. Practice stacking: Stacking activities help children strengthen fine motor and problem-solving skills. For example, they have to figure out how to stack the objects to keep them from falling.

Related: STEM Learning Excitement Can Be Cultivated Early

Building Baby’s Brain Power

While there’s no guaranteed formula for raising a genius, there are many meaningful ways to support your baby’s cognitive development from an early age. Simple daily interactions like reading, singing, playing, and creating routines can all help strengthen learning and connection. Most importantly, consistently and responsively engaging with your child helps create a strong foundation for healthy growth and development.