Nursery World - Birth to babble

First books for babies can be introduced earlier than many adults expect. Opal Dunn explains why, and recommends some useful books for starters

Opal Dunn explains why, and recommends some useful books for starters

Some adults underestimate the extent of a baby's cognitive and linguistic development in the first six months They mistakenly judge a baby by the well-known physical development milestones, not noticing the development of the mouth box, neck and lungs all vital for speech.

From birth, a baby's brain starts to make connections, aided by experiences shepherded by an adult voice using parentese (see Nursery World, 1 March).

Research shows babies are capable of thinking, remembering and predicting from the first months.

Babies use eyes to make some of their first contacts. Up to eight weeks old, their retinas are not fixed and vision is still blurred and two-dimensional. From eight weeks, babies can see 20-30cm away and appear to recognise photos of faces and smile at themselves in a mirror. They appear to see vibrant, highly contrasting colours better than pastel shades.

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