{"id":13495,"date":"2026-02-19T08:57:50","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T07:57:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\/10-smarte-tips\/build-your-infants-brain\/"},"modified":"2026-03-18T16:00:43","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T15:00:43","slug":"build-your-infants-brain","status":"publish","type":"tip","link":"https:\/\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\/en\/10-smarte-tips\/build-your-infants-brain\/","title":{"rendered":"Build your infant’s brain"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

TIP 8<\/h4>\n\n\n

Build your infant’s brain<\/h1><\/div>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n

Observe, talk, sing and play with your baby. That builds its brain. Turn everyday tasks like meals and nappy-changing into brain-building activities. <\/p>\n\n

\n
\n

Advice<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Follow your baby\u2019s eyes and talk about what you both see (\u201cthat building block is nice \u2013 do you want it?\u201d). Name and accept the baby\u2019s feelings (\u201cit\u2019s OK to get impatient when there\u2019s a long wait\u201d). Ask for help at the clinic if interaction is proving difficult. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n
“Play tennis” with your baby<\/summary>\n

The time from conception until the infant reaches the age of two is known as the 1001 critical days<\/em>. This is when the baby needs good, stable adults around it for the brain to develop as well as possible. Brain-building activities are important, and the advice here may sound a little strange: Play tennis with your baby \u2013 it\u2019s good for the brain. Most people then envisage a small tennis ball being hit backwards and forwards by two people with rackets. Back and forth and full activity. That\u2019s exactly what the baby\u2019s interaction with its parents ought to be like in order to develop its brain. Infants communicate actively with adults by transmitting facial movements, babbling, crying, gestures and emotional expressions which are entirely their own. The grown-ups act in the same way, and thereby respond to the child\u2019s communication by returning gestures, sounds, breathing and movements. That\u2019s how interaction between you progresses \u2013 back and forth, exactly like a game of tennis. What your baby needs is that you become a good-enough \u201ctennis player\u201d for its brain to develop properly. <\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

Advice for getting good at interaction<\/summary>\n
    \n
  • Babies are very interested in exploring the world, but they can also become tired and worn out. Keep an eye on whether your baby is enjoying itself. When it is, try to see the world through its eyes and talk about what you then observe. If the child points at something, share its curiosity: \u201cOh, look. Is that building block nice? Would you like it?\u201d When you respond to its initiative, the infant learns that it can communicate with you. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Share positive feelings with your child so that they get even bigger and better. Your baby will sometimes prefer just to look at you while being cuddled. Enjoy your baby as it falls in love with your face. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • When your baby isn\u2019t doing so well and is restless and out-of-sorts, it needs help from you to calm down. Organise its feelings by naming and accepting them. For example: \u201cAhh, you\u2019re impatient now \u2013 yes, it was a long wait for food.\u201d When your baby is displaying strong feelings, it usually wants to be picked up and cuddled. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The baby sometimes needs a break from interacting with you. Be patient, and don\u2019t go away. Stay with the child when it looks away from you and wait awhile until it\u2019s ready again. In that way, you strengthen the ability of your baby\u2019s brain to calm down on its own. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Last, but not least: you can\u2019t alienate your baby with too much love. When you share joys and have moments when you smile, joke and laugh together, we know this is good for brain-building. Have you noticed that babies can never get enough of games which have predictability and rhythm \u2013 like the song Ba Baa Black Sheep or going \u201cboo!\u201d? <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n
    Get help if interaction is proving difficult<\/summary>\n

    Do you find it\u2019s hard for you to \u201cplay tennis\u201d with your baby? Do you feel uncertain and stressed out about how to return its \u201cserves\u201d, or feel absent and not quite up to the effort of interacting? You\u2019re not alone. Get in touch with your health clinic – they know you want the best for your baby. They\u2019re good on bonding and interaction between parent and child. <\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n\n

    \n
    \n

    Remember<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    The time from conception until the infant reaches the age of two is particularly important for its development. During this period, the child needs good and stable adults around it to develop as well as possible. You are your child\u2019s most important brain-builder. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    \n
    \"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

    The content on this page was developed in collaboration with clinical psychologists Ida Brandtz\u00e6g and Stig Torsteinson, specialists in attachment psychology.<\/p>\n\n

    The content on this page was developed in collaboration with clinical psychologists Ida Brandtz\u00e6g and Stig Torsteinson, specialists in attachment psychology.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Observe, talk, sing and play with your baby. That builds its brain. Turn everyday tasks like meals and nappy-changing into brain-building activities. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":14925,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false},"class_list":["post-13495","tip","type-tip","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBuild your infant's brain - Stine Sofies Stiftelse<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\/10-smarte-tips\/build-your-infants-brain\/?lang=en\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Build your infant's brain - Stine Sofies Stiftelse\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Observe, talk, sing and play with your baby. That builds its brain. Turn everyday tasks like meals and nappy-changing into brain-building activities.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\/10-smarte-tips\/build-your-infants-brain\/?lang=en\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Stine Sofies Stiftelse\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/StineSofiesStiftelse\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-18T15:00:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/d1713zmupob0gt.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/10123905\/tip-8.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2107\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1773\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\\\/10-smarte-tips\\\/build-your-infants-brain\\\/?lang=en\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\\\/10-smarte-tips\\\/build-your-infants-brain\\\/?lang=en\",\"name\":\"Build your infant's brain - Stine Sofies Stiftelse\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\\\/10-smarte-tips\\\/build-your-infants-brain\\\/?lang=en#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\\\/10-smarte-tips\\\/build-your-infants-brain\\\/?lang=en#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d1713zmupob0gt.cloudfront.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/18135917\\\/FP_sang_med_barn_2026.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-19T07:57:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-18T15:00:43+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\\\/10-smarte-tips\\\/build-your-infants-brain\\\/?lang=en#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\\\/10-smarte-tips\\\/build-your-infants-brain\\\/?lang=en\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\\\/10-smarte-tips\\\/build-your-infants-brain\\\/?lang=en#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d1713zmupob0gt.cloudfront.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/18135917\\\/FP_sang_med_barn_2026.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d1713zmupob0gt.cloudfront.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/18135917\\\/FP_sang_med_barn_2026.png\",\"width\":2496,\"height\":2033},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\\\/10-smarte-tips\\\/build-your-infants-brain\\\/?lang=en#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Hjem\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Build your infant’s brain\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\\\/\",\"name\":\"Stine Sofies Stiftelse\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Stine Sofies Stiftelse\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d1713zmupob0gt.cloudfront.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/10\\\/19093628\\\/cropped-Stine_sofies_stiftelse_logosymbol.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d1713zmupob0gt.cloudfront.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/10\\\/19093628\\\/cropped-Stine_sofies_stiftelse_logosymbol.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Stine Sofies Stiftelse\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/StineSofiesStiftelse\\\/\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Build your infant's brain - Stine Sofies Stiftelse","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\/10-smarte-tips\/build-your-infants-brain\/?lang=en","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Build your infant's brain - Stine Sofies Stiftelse","og_description":"Observe, talk, sing and play with your baby. That builds its brain. Turn everyday tasks like meals and nappy-changing into brain-building activities.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\/10-smarte-tips\/build-your-infants-brain\/?lang=en","og_site_name":"Stine Sofies Stiftelse","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/StineSofiesStiftelse\/","article_modified_time":"2026-03-18T15:00:43+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2107,"height":1773,"url":"https:\/\/d1713zmupob0gt.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/10123905\/tip-8.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\/10-smarte-tips\/build-your-infants-brain\/?lang=en","url":"https:\/\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\/10-smarte-tips\/build-your-infants-brain\/?lang=en","name":"Build your infant's brain - Stine Sofies Stiftelse","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\/10-smarte-tips\/build-your-infants-brain\/?lang=en#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\/10-smarte-tips\/build-your-infants-brain\/?lang=en#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/d1713zmupob0gt.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/18135917\/FP_sang_med_barn_2026.png","datePublished":"2026-02-19T07:57:50+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-18T15:00:43+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\/10-smarte-tips\/build-your-infants-brain\/?lang=en#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\/10-smarte-tips\/build-your-infants-brain\/?lang=en"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\/10-smarte-tips\/build-your-infants-brain\/?lang=en#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/d1713zmupob0gt.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/18135917\/FP_sang_med_barn_2026.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/d1713zmupob0gt.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/18135917\/FP_sang_med_barn_2026.png","width":2496,"height":2033},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\/10-smarte-tips\/build-your-infants-brain\/?lang=en#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Hjem","item":"https:\/\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Build your infant’s brain"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\/","name":"Stine Sofies Stiftelse","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\/#organization","name":"Stine Sofies Stiftelse","url":"https:\/\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/d1713zmupob0gt.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/19093628\/cropped-Stine_sofies_stiftelse_logosymbol.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/d1713zmupob0gt.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/19093628\/cropped-Stine_sofies_stiftelse_logosymbol.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Stine Sofies Stiftelse"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/StineSofiesStiftelse\/"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tip\/13495","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tip"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/tip"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14925"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stinesofiesstiftelse.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}