Raegan's Learning

One of my favorite parts of being a stay-at-home mom is seeing my daughter grow and learn before my very eyes.

Before she was born, I wasn't sure how challenging it would be to have an infant with hydrocephalus. Doctors said to expect a severely mentally challenged child, and so I tried to prepare myself as much as I could. I found an advanced copy of Bright From the Start, by Dr. Jill Stamm, at a book store nd I read it twice, bookmarking all the tips I could find to help me nurture my child's developing mind.

Faithfully, God heard our cries and prayers, and Raegan was born pretty healthy. She still has hydrocephalus, but it doesn't seem to be affecting her in any way! Even though she may not be delayed at this point, I believe it is important to stimulate her brain and take advantage of teachable moments throughout her young life.

Here are some great examples of some of the things we do during the day:

• Label objects and actions throughout the day. I talk to Raegan and introduce her to the things around her. I point out the different things around us, the light and the table, her toys. You can tell she is taking it all in.
  
• We change and rotate toys occasionally to keep her attention.
• Play "crossing the midline" game. I use a rattle for this activity. I Shake the toy up and down and from side to side to engage Raegans eye contact. This will help connect and strengthen the two hemispheres of the brain. According to Bright From the Start, "the better the connection between its [the brain] sides, the more smoothly the whole brain is able to work and therefore the better the learning of certain skills."
• Read Read Read! We read to Raegan even if she seems uninterested. Reading provides auditory stimulation and increases the number of words she hears. I know it's a great habit to get into so Raegan will be familiar with reading and more prepared for school later on.
• Music and simple songs/rhymes. I never really thought this had much of an impact on babies, except entertainment. I was completely wrong! Raegan has a CD that she use's to take naps and at night when she goes to bed. She also likes signing and dancing to the different rhyming songs.