Infant Stimulation for Premature Babies
                             by Ronnie Londner

     Infant stimulation is a series of activities that encourage normal
development.  It is often recommended for babies whose start in life puts
them at risk for developmental difficulties.  Children born with handicaps
(such as Down Syndrome) are obvious candidates.  But "just-plain" premies
may need special help, too.  Premature babies, as a group, are more likely
to suffer from certain physical and social problems than full-term babies.

     You've probably heard about infant stimulation if your baby was in
the neonatal intensive care unit.  Many hospitals recommend that parents
use infant stimulation techniques when their babies come home.
Developmental gains are tracked at follow-up visits to the hospital or
private pediatrician. If the baby's development is not on target for his
or her corrected-for-prematurity age, a formal infant stimulation program
run by professionals may be suggested.

     Okay, you know what infant stimulation is.  But how do you actually
do it when your baby gets home?  How will you find the time and energy to
add yet another task to your busy day?

     The following are suggestions on how to make infant stimulation of
your less-than-one-year-old a normal part of your parenting.  Very little
extra time is necessary.  You can do these activities with one or more
babies at a time, if you have twins or triplets.  These suggestions are
natural things you can do with any baby.  Use your ingenuity and special
knowledge of your baby to devise other ways of stimulation.

     Suggestions are in sensory categories. The ideas come from infant
stimulation teachers, physicians, physical therapists, and parents who
have gone this road before you.

     One precaution: some babies, especially prematures, dislike
stimulation.  You must be careful not to over-stimulate such a baby. Do
the activities when your baby is in an alert, calm and receptive mood.
Take your cues from your children.  Generally, a baby's facial expression
will change as his stimulation tolerance is reached.  If you note a change
in breathing or skin color, stop the activity.  All babies need quiet
time, too.  Check with your doctor before doing any of these activities.

SMELL:  Studies have shown that newborn babies can differentiate between
odors.  Take your baby into the kitchen to smell the various spices in the
spice rack.  Tell her what she is smelling: "This is cinnamon, Jennifer."
Don't linger too long over the pepper, and don't put the baby's nose too
close.  She doesn't need to take deep whiffs.

     Talk to your baby about what you smell during the day.  He or she can
smell it, too.  Go outside together and enjoy the fresh aroma of a just-
cut lawn.  Say, "Mmmm, doesn't Daddy's after-shave smell nice?" or "Oh,
yucky, what a bad smell that burnt toast made!"   Be careful near odors
that you find very unpleasant, like ammonia or rotten eggs.  Babies
despise bad smells and become active and startled when introduced to
noxious odors.

VISION:  Visual pathways develop in third trimester of pregnancy.  If your
baby was very early, and especially if he had a brain hemorrhage, he might
have some visual difficulties.  To aid scanning skills, swing a flashlight
in a darkened room for your baby.  Swing slowly at first, then a little
faster in different patterns such as lines or circles.  Move brightly
colored objects slowly across your baby' line of vision.  Try shadow play;
it is fun and easy to do.

Hang brightly colored mobiles about 14 inches over the crib of your not-
yet-grabbing baby.  Change the mobiles' positions and the items suspended
from it every week or two.  Babies like sharp contrasts of shape and
color, and they especially like faces.  Put baby-safe mirrors in the
crib.

Place colorful pictures all over the house.  Place some at the eye-level
of your baby as you carry her in your arms, and place others lower for
when he is on the floor.  Use bright, uncluttered pictures of familiar
objects (strollers, babies, bottles, nursing babies, etc).  Baby magazines
are an excellent source.  "Hide" some pictures behind doors, curtains, and
other safe places to surprise and delight your baby.  Change the pictures
to prevent boredom.  Talk to your baby about what he sees.

Hold your infant straight up in your arms, supporting his head so he can
see over your shoulder.  Older babies enjoy being held with their backs to
your chest, so they have a clear view of the world.

TOUCH: Once in a while, massage your baby after her bath. Make it an
event: turn the lights low, and play soft music.  Read one of the many
books (such as Loving Hands, The Traditional Indian Art of Baby Massaging,
by Frederick Leboyer, Knopf, hardcover $19.95, 1976, and Baby Massage,
Parent-Child Bonding Through Touching, by Amelia Auckett, New Market,
softcover $6.95, 1982) on baby massage to get details.

Use a clean, dry paint brush to "paint" your baby.  Brush tiny feet from
heel to toe.  Brush little hands from the heel of the hand to the
fingertips.  Brush from the mid-line of the chest to the diaper.  Use soft
pads to gently rub the legs from thigh to ankle, and the arms from
shoulder to wrist.  (If your baby may have a seizure disorder or cerebral
palsy, ask your doctor if this activity is okay.)

Once past the infant stage, babies enjoy having their feet in clean sand
at the beach or sandbox.  Hide toys for her to find in the sand.  Let him
handle leaves, grass, and gravel.  On rainy or cold days, she can play
indoors with a shoebox filled with uncooked rice, lentils, beans, or a
mixture.

MOTION:  Use a front pack when you can.  The motion is a good stimulus,
and the closeness feels great for parent and child.  Equilibrium is
enhanced with gentle rocking, dancing and swaying to music.  More vigorous
roughhousing will be enjoyed as your baby grows.  Rock and swing your
baby sometimes when you pick her up.  (But be very careful not to shake
her; vigorous shaking can cause brain bleeding.)  Feeling his body in
different positions will help develop his sense of balance.  Roll your
baby up in a blanket (leave his head out).  Roll him back and forth, and
then unroll him out.  Next time he may be able to unroll himself out.

HEARING: Bring your baby's attention to everyday sounds such as a rain
storm, tea kettle whistling, toilet flushing, phone ringing and dogs
barking.  Tell him what he is hearing.  He will learn that sounds help
organize and identify his world.

Music is a fine source of infant stimulation and relaxation.  Here are
some classical music suggestions:

Peaceful, calming: Vivaldi, Four Seasons (Summer); Bach, Air on the G
String, Prelude Number One in C; Debussy, Suite Bergamasque, Clair de
Lune; Delius, Fantasy, In a Summer Garden, On Hearing the First Cuckoo in
Spring.  Vaughan Williams, Fantasia on "Greensleeves"; Brahms, Three
Intermezzi, Op. 117, Lullaby; Humperdinck, Hansel and Gretel Suite.

Lively: Bartok, Concerto for Orchestra, 2nd Movement; Beethoven, Violin
Concerto in D, Op. 61, 3rd Movement and Symphony Number Six in F, 5th
Movement; Borodin, Prince Igor, Polovtsian Dances; Brahms, Rhapsodies, Op.
79; Copland, Appalachian Spring, Rodeo; Schumann, Carnivale, Op. 9.

Rousing: Bach, 48 Preludes and Fugues; Haydn, Symphony Number 101 in D,
2nd Movement; Mendelssohn, The Hebrides Overture; Prokofiev, Romeo and
Juliet, Cushion Dance; Purcell, The Indian Queen, Trumpet Overture;
Rimsky-Korsakoff, The Flight of the Bumblebee; St.-Saens, Carnival of the
Animals, The Elephant, The Lions.

Many libraries will lend classical recordings.

GENERAL:  Talk to your baby.  Look him in the eyes when you speak to him.
Give him praise and applause when he has accomplished something.  Imitate
her facial expressions.  Soon, she may be imitating yours.

When your baby is big enough, take him outside to see, hear, and smell the
weather.  A rain storm can be an exciting event.  If a summer rain shower
is warm and gentle, you might want to take your baby out in it for a few
moments, so she can feel the rain drops on her faces.  Going outside for a
short time often calms unhappy babies.

Dress your baby in clothing loose enough to allow freedom of arms and
legs.  Get on the floor with your baby and discover all the movements and
muscles that are involved in what seems like simple tasks, such as rolling
over.

Hold your baby in such a way that she must turn sometimes to the right,
and sometimes to the left, to see and hear what is of interest.  Feed your
baby from alternate sides.  Don't let your baby neglect one side of their
bodies.
                                  *****

     With these ideas to build on, you are on your way to stimulating your
baby while enjoying him or her, too