Long before they can talk, your baby begins conversations with you. By responding back and forth you can help their brain development.

A baby’s brains develop fastest in the early years of life – from birth until the ages of two or three, more than a million neural connections are made each second.

By picking up on your baby's cues and interacting back and forth with them – as though playing a game of tennis - you can help their brain to develop. This could include copying gestures, gaze, sounds or facial expressions, and giving names to what they are doing or looking at.

Watch this short video featuring Ryan, former Family Support Co-ordinator at Home-Start Glasgow South to discover how you, and other loved ones, can use this 'serve and return' approach to help your baby's brain to build:

Further help and resources:

• Getting to know your baby videos on AIMH
• BBC Tiny Happy People gives details of each stage of your baby’s development throughout their first year.
• Brazelton Centre have great resources on understanding your baby’s behaviour and communication
• 5 Steps for Brain-Building Serve and Return from The Harvard Center
• Words for Life – A National Literacy Trust initiative offering tips and activities to help parents support their child’s communication and reading skills. 

Please speak to your GP, midwife or Health Visitor.

Crisis Support:

If you or someone you care about is in crisis or feeling suicidal and needs urgent help you can access support in the following ways:

• Go to A&E at your local hospital
• Phone emergency services on 999
• Call Samaritans on 116 123 (free to call and will not appear on your phone bill), or email [email protected]

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