Prolonged pacifier use linked to reduced vocabulary size in infants, new study finds - The study indicates that extended use of pacifiers may negatively impact language development, with later pacifier use showing a stronger association with smaller vocabulary sizes compared to earlier use.

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#PacifierUse #InfantDevelopment #LanguageSkills #ParentingTips #ChildHealth

Infants ability to perceive faces greatly improves between 4 and 12 months with younger infants benefitting the most from the presence of their mother’s odor

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#infantdevelopment #facialperception #motherhood #sensorydevelopment #earlybonding

Infant brains are like sponges. Predictable caregivers can make them even spongier, new Northeastern research finds

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#InfantDevelopment #PredictableCaregivers #BrainResearch #NurtureNature #ChildDevelopment

Language used by mothers affects oxytocin levels of infants. For the first time, researchers discovered that the amount that a mother talks to their infant about their infant’s thoughts and feelings is directly correlated with their infant’s oxytocin levels.

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#MaternalLanguage #Oxytocin #InfantDevelopment #ParentingScience #EmotionalBonding

Sex differences in brain structure are present at birth and remain stable during early development. The study found that while male infants tend to have larger total brain volumes, female infants, when adjusted for brain size, have more grey matter, whereas male infants have more white matter.

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#SexDifferences #BrainStructure #InfantDevelopment #Neuroscience #GenderBiology

In much of the world, parents may coo at infants 🍼💖, but they rarely mime full conversations, often called “parentese.” And yet, studies show the benefits of conversation for infant development 📚👶. Improving the practice in developing countries 🌍 could start with videos on a smart phone 📱.

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#Parentese #InfantDevelopment #EarlyCommunication #SmartphoneEducation #GlobalParenting

Financial instability during pregnancy appears to influence infant brain development 🤰💔 | Infants whose families experienced sudden income losses during the prenatal period tended to have smaller volumes in brain regions involved in stress regulation and emotional processing 🧠👶.

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#FinancialInstability #PregnancyHealth #InfantDevelopment #BrainDevelopment #PrenatalCare

A study showed that early individual differences in infants’ sensitivity to information gain are linked to later cognitive development. Researchers found that the extent to which infants’ attention was guided by information gain at 8 months was related to their IQ scores at 3.5 years of age. 🍼📊🧠

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#InfantDevelopment #CognitiveScience #EarlyChildhood #InformationProcessing #IQResearch

Infants developing in a household where mothers reported income to be inadequate to support the family's needs exhibit delays in brain maturation. Maternal perceptions of income sufficiency may signal increased risk of financial 💰 and psychosocial stress 😟.

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#InfantDevelopment #MaternalHealth #FinancialStress #BrainMaturation #ChildWellbeing

Father's warmth 🤗 and supportive behavior toward infant 👶 at 10 months 🗓️ can positively impact child's heart ❤️ and metabolic health 🩺 at age 7 🎯

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#fatherhood #parentalinvolvement #infantdevelopment #hearthealth #metabolichealth

👶 Newborns can detect and predict rhythmic patterns in music, but not melodic ones.

🧠 Brain activity data from 49 newborns, collected via EEG while listening to Bach, showed they responded to rhythmic surprises in original pieces, but not melodic surprises or any surprises in shuffled music.

🌳 This ability to predict rhythm may stem from ancient auditory skills shared with other primates and early biological experiences like the mother's heartbeat, while melody relies on learning after birth.

#NewbornResearch #MusicCognition #InfantDevelopment

👶 Poverty can negatively impact babies' motor development as early as six months, according to a study by the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar).

🧸 Researchers found that babies in vulnerable socioeconomic conditions reached motor milestones later and showed less diverse movements, but this delay can be reversed with simple stimuli and strategies.

🏠 Home visits teaching mothers simple stimulation techniques, like "tummy time" and using basic toys, significantly improved motor development in infants.

📊 The study identified male sex and chaotic home environments with many adults as risk factors, while stimulating toys and older mothers were protective factors.

#InfantDevelopment #ChildHealth #SocioeconomicVulnerability

Breastfeeding may give babies early practice in self-control, longitudinal study suggests. The findings provide evidence that the act of breastfeeding gives babies early, regular practice at recognizing when they are full.

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#Breastfeeding #EarlySelfControl #InfantDevelopment

A diverse toy environment is linked to better infant communication skills. Study found a high number of diverse toys in the home is associated with advanced interaction abilities and early language development in infants.

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#EarlyLanguage #InfantDevelopment #ToyEnvironment