The Baby Entertainer ? Bounty a reassuring world for parents

One thing that a lot of dads know too well is that little pang of disappointment when their toddler is upset about something, and runs right past dad to be comforted by mum. Sometimes, of course, dad is that person that tot always runs to, but usually it?s not, and that can make dads feel somewhat less important. I used to hear things like ?I?m the family clown? or ?I?m baby?s funny man? from new dads all the time, and what they often mean is: maybe baby doesn?t actually ?need? me, but at least I can keep the family happy.

The kind of ?entertainment? that dads provide for babies is actually learning of the highest quality ? a highly trained early childhood professional couldn?t do it any better. By the tender age of 18 months, one study tells us, those toddlers that have been amply exposed to their fathers?? clowning around already have much better problem-solving skills than their more dad-deprived peers. (?Problem solving? for a toddler is measured, for example, by their ability to find ways around the physical obstacles we put in their way to protect our gear from their curiosity). And dad didn?t even use any ?educational? toys!

What dads don?t realise is quite how much they are being sucked in by their offspring. Children?s minds are often described as sponges, but that?s actually a bad metaphor. Children do not just absorb whatever information is around them like a sponge, they are actively seeking out the kind of information and experience that helps their development. Dad offers that kind of experience and information, and babies try hard to make sure he keeps doing it!

Ever wondered, for example, why babies tend to say something like ?da-da? well before they give their mum any verbal acknowledgement? Or why they do some ?tricks? only for them, like tongue-poking, funny face or some physical trick? Guys, it?s the oldest trick in the book: babies make you feel special and you?re bending over backwards to keep it that way, doing anything that will make them smile or laugh. Meanwhile baby?s brain is in overdrive forming useful connections.

Dads are also well known for their physical play, and we know that this speeds up babies? physical development. What is less well known is that physical development is an essential pre-requisite for intellectual development. Infants and toddlers need to be able to move in order to get to where learning is happening for them (not always a place you like them to be), and they need to be able to use their hands in order to explore and manipulate objects, which is probably the single most important tool for intellectual learning in babies and toddlers.

Researchers believe that the father-infant relationship has unique qualities, based on a special bond that forms if given the opportunity. Other men such as grandfathers, uncles or stepfathers can contribute a lot, but they don?t affect the development of those children in quite the same way. The same is true for mothers, of course. The foundation for small children?s learning is laid in those quiet and tender moments, when attachment is formed both ways. It is this relationship, which opens up their minds to learn.

Source: http://bounty.co.nz/the-baby-entertainer/

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