Babies are born with about 100 billion nerve cells, called neurons. Unlike in other parts of the body, these cells don’t grow by multiplying. Instead, our brain grows by making connections, or synapses, between the neurons. These connections form pathways and networks which transmit information to different parts of the brain and the body.

In the first few years of life, our brain goes into overdrive, making about 700 new connections per second, but after that the synapses begin to disappear. So, when you were a toddler you had about twice the number of synapses than you do now!

What determines which synapses stay and which are pruned? As in many other things in life, the connections that are reinforced are the ones that last. In other words, if you don’t use them you lose them. That is why babies that hear more words as infants have an easier time learning language.

But it’s not just the exposure that matters. Babies don’t just absorb information like sponges! They actively draw attention from their caregivers, and thrive when their caregivers respond. This back and forth, also called “serve and return” interaction, has been shown to be the key way to help build and reinforce the brain pathways for language and learning in infants.

That is why even educational shows and electronic games on their own are not good tools to encourage language or cognitive development. They can’t respond to babies’ cues the way people can.

Bottom Line: You don’t need expensive gadgets or apps or programs to help a baby’s brain grow. All you have to do is talk, sing, read, cuddle and play