Babies use all five senses—sight, taste, touch, sound, and smell—to learn about the world around them. As their sensory development improves, so does their ability to calm themselves and relate to their surroundings. Child care centers and preschool programs focus on sensory stimulation for these reasons, and there is plenty you can do at home to foster healthy sense-based development. Below are tips to help you get started.

How to Boost Your Baby’s Sensory Development

1. Use Bright Colors to Decorate the Nursery

A nursery featuring an array of bright colors and interesting patterns provides your baby with a variety of visuals to enjoy. To help the infant see as much of the room as possible, place the bassinet in different areas every day or every few days. It also helps to provide different-colored toys and walk around your house holding the baby while looking at different pictures on the walls. For example, if a hanging picture features different animals, you can point them out to your baby and name the colors they feature, such as orange for tiger and black for panther.

2. Hold Your Baby Frequently

Skin-to-skin cuddling comforts your baby and helps them feel safe because it reminds them of the womb. Holding and cuddling the infant often also promotes sensory development, since touch is among the ways babies communicate and learn. You can pick up assorted toys and objects while holding your baby, as well to introduce them to different textures, such as fuzzy stuffed bears and smooth plastic building blocks.

3. Expose Them to Various Scents

Introducing different foods, flowers, and clothing that “smells like mom” helps your baby learn about different scents and how to distinguish among them. Try to find a new scent for your baby to smell each day, in addition to providing the comfort of your own scent. Avoid wearing perfume or perfumed lotion, since such products mask your natural scent and can confuse your infant. It also helps to look for scented baby books and toys to encourage sensory development outside of the child care center. And, as with all development-related activities, narrate what you are doing to boost your baby’s language skills.

Mendon Child Care Center in Mendon, NY, provides infants through grade school-age children with a nurturing environment rooted in early childhood development. This premier child care center is fully licensed and provides families throughout Mendon and Honeoye Falls with reliable services that adhere to state guidelines. Call (585) 624-2337 today to get started, and visit the child care center online for more information.