I’m someone who strongly believes in the importance of lifelong learning.

We begin learning the moment we arrive into this world up until it’s time to leave it.

We know that there are certain things we can do for our children to foster that desire for learning and yield success in their future.

But it’s easy to get caught up in daily life, and we forget to foster that desire for learning!

I was so excited to get my copy of My Smart Infant by Bonnie Rosenstein to start Mia off on the right foot.

From the moment I started using Bonnie’s tips, I saw Mia change: She instantly became more vocal, more in tune to what I was saying, and more interactive in general.

While I give you 3 great and quick tips to instantly start applying, I highly recommend Bonnie’s book to get the full effect. Her book is quick to read and easy to apply the strategies right away.

It’s also a great guide for you to refer to in your child’s monthly milestones as a benchmark for their development.

If your baby isn’t reaching certain milestones yet, Bonnie says not to worry because all children learn at a different pace, but her book is a great way to assess any needs that should be addressed professionally.

Here are my tips for lifelong learning success:

Talk about EVERYTHING

This is something easy to forget, because we just complete our daily tasks so absentmindedly.

But think about this: When your child is born, they are a blank slate. They know nothing about the world around them. It’s really up to us, as parents, to define their world.

My husband would always joke that he would call the door a chair to our kids just to be funny (no, he didn’t really do that to our kids, I promise). But in all seriousness, the world is defined by the way we help them perceive it! If we touch a chair and tell them it’s a chair, they now know that object to be a chair.

So, try talking through your day with them.

“I’m getting your bottle ready to feed you. This is a bottle.”

“I’m giving you a bath now in the water. This is soap to clean you. Then, I will dry you off and get you dressed for your day!”

“I’m going to change your diaper now, okay love?”

It seems silly, but this is how they learn the world and develop early language skills.

Talk in real worlds, NOT baby talk

This one is just a general pet peeve of mine, so when Bonnie said to NOT talk in baby talk, this really validated my belief.

Why have to change the name of something multiple times when they can learn the right way from the beginning?

Instead of baba say bottle. They may not be able to say bottle in the beginning, but they will pick it up easier if it’s the right word they are taught.

Be present for your child

It’s common for us to get sucked into our routine, our obligations and our phones.

So, when you are spending time with your child, make it quality time.

It can be playing with a toy, helping their fine motor skills, or reading to them to develop their comprehensive ability.

When you are interacting with your child, place both eyes on them and give your genuine attention.

From 0-6 months is where they start determining facial features and emotions, so giving them that one-on-one attention is crucial to their development (you can even have siblings join in the fun!).

Put the phone on the counter, away from your view (and your child’s view), and get to know that little person you brought into this world.

You don’t need all of the best technology or toys to interact with your child. Bonnie has a nice list in My Smart Infant of developmental toys for your little one. A few of my favorites are:

Oball

Activity Gym Mat

Crinkle Books

Regular books and black & white books for high contrast

As Bonnie states, “The most important years in a child’s life are the first three years.” (Excerpt from My Smart Infant.)

Let those three years be of growth, learning, and love.

Want to win your very own copy of My Smart Infant and a FREE consult with Bonnie? Check out our instagram page on how you can win today, October 26th!