Regardless of the onset of advanced motor skills, some infants show mental aptitude very early. This aptitude will diminish if it is not nurtured like a kindling fire. Fan the tiny flames into a bonfire with some of these techniques.

~ Auditory stimulation
Playing classical music for children has been an idea scoffed for decades, yet there is a very calculated benefit. The complexity of the music and the diverse combinations of instruments trains the infants ear to an acuity that cannot be duplicated in the years that follow.

~ Communicative stimulation
When considering placing your infant in front of the television, stop. Instead, place the infant in bed with two or less bland toys with ambient white or muted sunlight. Place an audio book in the player. Classic novels will introduce advanced phonics, speech rhythm and vocal tenor that television need not and will not provide.

~ Tactile stimulation
Belly time for an infant is the best time to stimulate touch. Place baby on a blanket constructed with pockets, a large zipper, buttons, Velcro, soft, smooth and rough surfaces. After the initial tasting, the infant will develop a curiosity satisfied only by mastery of the gadgets.

~ Visual stimulation
Mobiles are babies first real visual stimulus beyond mother's breast and face. Begin with a black and white mobile, as it is designed for baby's developing eyes. Move then to graphic, colored mobiles. The final stage is a ceiling mounted mobile or drawing. These can be large and complex, but should maintain repetitious graphic design elements and only primary and secondary color palettes. Muted and pastel shades are more suited to toddlers.

~ Over stimulation
Although terrifically successful individually, these intense stimulations should not be combined during the first year. Over stimulation of an infant can lead to sleep issues, both over- and under-sleeping. Stress from sleep difficulty leads to feeding issues that complicate baby's natural growth process.

~ Dual stimulation
To combine auditory stimulation with any other component is suggested. The overall result is a more relaxed infant who will be less likely to be startled. Reduce the level of complexity and volume of the auditory stimulation. Single tonal quality of rain sounds, single instrument music or the monotone recordings of single language elementary word introductions are good components to add to tactile or visual stimulation without fear of over stimulation.

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