Mothers’ influence over children’s development

Published: 07 May 2021 Tagged: babybondingchildrendevelopmenthearingMother’s Daymumpregnancysmell

We will celebrate Mother’s Day next Sunday, May 9th. This date is extremely special for emotional reasons, when we simply make a different breakfast, buy a gift or declare our love for our mother in the most varied communication ways. However, we can use this special date to point out some scientific information about the uncanny connection between a mother and her children, and even her amazing effects over a child’s development. Have a look at how much a child can be bonded to his or her mum:

• By the first trimester of pregnancy, a fetus is already developing its sense of smell, memorising its mum’s amniotic fluid! With this acute sense of smell, the very moment of birth is also marked by the baby smelling his or her mum and memorising this smell with such an effectiveness that even by distance the baby can differentiate if mum is around. Mum’s unique breastmilk is the other smell the baby can differentiate among other mum’s breastmilk and other kinds of liquids. Sensing mum’s smell has an immediate effect of safety and comfort, which also contributes for the baby’s overall development.
• By the second trimester of pregnancy, the baby’s hearing is already able to recognise mum’s voice among other sounds, which include internal sounds such as heartbeat, organs working and so on, and even external noise. By hearing mum’s voice, the baby can become calm or excited depending on the situation. Mum’s voice is also the other way the baby can recognise mum at the very moment of birth.
• Even during childhood and adolescence, mum’s voice has a very strong effect, in person or even through electronic communication. A team of researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison discovered that mum’s voice through a simple phone call can induce the production of oxytocin over her children, with the same effect as mum’s hug and cuddling.

As you can see, you are miraculously important in your children’s lives, even with no effort at all! Therefore, the more you dedicate yourself for your child’s development, the higher the chances are for them to succeed in their future. You can read this post here about interesting activities to stimulate your child’s communication skills.

Speakable team wishes to all mum a wonderful Mother’s Day with your loved children. No matter the distance, your bond with your children can overcome time and distance since love has no limits and you represent that for all of us! Congratulations!