10 ways to awaken your babys sense of smell

Smell is a child's earliest developed sense. In fact, the baby's sense of smell from birth is very sensitive, so the first time contacting the mother, the baby quickly feels and remembers the smell. With time and the development of other senses, so did the sharpness of the sense of smell.

Therefore, parents should take advantage of the time in childhood to develop their olfactory ability.

1 / Thai religion by smell 

The fetal nose is formed in the second month of pregnancy. Normally, air and breath are needed to smell, so most of us assume that a fetus living in an amniotic fluid environment will not smell it. However, in reality, amniotic fluid not only surrounds the fetus but also in the baby's oral cavity, nose cavity, remembering that the baby will "smell" and "taste" the taste of amniotic fluid. In other words, what the mother smells while pregnant, the baby will also feel, of course, at a much lower level. At the 36th week when the due date is approaching, the fetal sense of smell has been completed in terms of structure and function, ready to experience all kinds of smells in the world. Based on the fetal olfactory development, mothers can completely practice pregnancy  with scent.

2 / Let the baby smell the mother

Only after 45 hours after birth, the baby has correctly recognized the mother's smell and is very "mingled with the mother". Let your baby get used to the mother's signature scent such as essential oils, perfumes, and moisturizers that mom often uses to help her recognize her mother. The actions of cuddling, nurturing, and "inhaling" the taste between mother and child not only stimulate the development of the child's olfactory, but also increase the love hormone oxytocin, which helps to create a strong bond between mother and child.

When first contacting the mother, the baby's sharp sense of smell quickly grabs the signal, remembers and "addicted" to the mother's taste.

3 / The game to find the mother breast

Children are very excited and easily recognize the fragrance from their mother's milk, and through that, receive the mother and find the breast (if the mother holds it). Watch a baby suckle and move the baby to find the breast, hold the nipple in the baby's mouth and suckle - this process progresses rapidly. Mothers should touch the mother's nipple to other positions on the baby's face such as lips, mouth, upper jaw, lower jaw, chin, right cheek and left cheek. That makes the baby quickly learn how to adjust the space, feel the upper - lower, right - left position.

4 / Children are comfortable with familiar smells

The first time when you want to leave your baby alone, the mother should cover or put beside the child a shirt or pillow that retains your smell. Certainly, the mother's scent will help children feel comfortable and safe. Even if your baby is uncomfortable, if you put your baby in an environment with familiar smells like beds, cribs will ease the frustration!

5 / Encourage favorite smells

Your baby sometimes shows an "addiction" to familiar scent objects such as old blankets or pillows, and a slight change in the scent after you wash it also makes them recognize and fussy and crying. Mom do not be too surprised, because this shows the baby's olfactory development.

Stimulate the baby's taste buds in 10 steps Baby's taste buds begin to develop very early, even while the baby is still in the womb. After birth, taste gradually develops and natural curiosity will help your baby explore the vast world around him, and help distinguish between foods or flavors that like or dislike.

6 / Stimulate your child's memory

Part of the brain controls smell, and this part may also help control memory. This creates a strong combination of specific scents and your baby's experiences. As a result, after a few years, a scent can trigger a child's memory and remind him of times or feelings he has experienced in the past.

7 / Afraid of contact with strange smell

About 3 months old, the child's sense of smell is very sensitive to distinguish the smell of relatives and strangers. That explains why children become anxious, frightened, and even cry when carried by strangers. In this case, the mother should gently talk and soothe the baby to be assured. Once they are exposed and feel safe, their sense of smell starts to get used to the smell, the child overcomes their fear.

8 / Stimulate your sense of smell with food

Weaning is a great time to stimulate your baby's sense of smell to develop. Because at the beginning, babies will use their olfactory senses to decide whether they like or dislike the foods and flavors they begin to try. You can let your baby smell vegetables while preparing meals. Mother's kitchen is a world full of different flavors that babies are very excited to explore. Before eating, mom can bring the food spoon to the baby's nose for the baby to smell and let the baby know what it is, if the baby closes his mouth and turns his head away, the baby may not like this taste and you have to try again A few times after that, gradually your baby will get used to many other new flavors. Mothers should encourage their children to have healthy eating habits rather than be picky.

9 / The game "smell and say"

A very effective way to stimulate smell and develop cognition and hearing for children is to let your baby smell safe objects around. Whenever you let your baby smell something, mom calls out its name out loud. Or name the smells and flavors when your baby pats and tasted like: "No sour smell?", "Oh, this is too salty!". This is the time when the mother is telling her the meaning of words just before she starts building up her own vocabulary and language development .

10 / Let your child smell many safe scents

Càng cho trẻ tiếp xúc với nhiều loại mùi thơm thì khứu giác của trẻ càng có cơ hội phát triển tốt, giúp bé khám phá thế giới nhiều hơn nữa. Trẻ có thể phân biệt được nhiều loại mùi hơn bằng cách mẹ đặt trong nhà những loại hoa tỏa hương thơm nhẹ nhàng, tạo cảm giác thư giãn và tâm trạng phấn chấn cho cả mẹ lẫn con. Hay một chuyến dã ngoại có thể cho bé tiếp xúc với nhiều loại mùi hương khác nhau, từ hương thơm ngọt ngào của một bông hoa cho tới mùi hương đặc trưng của một quả bóng cao su,… Nhưng mẹ hãy lưu ý, tất cả những hương thơm dùng để đánh thức giác quan khứu giác cũng phải là những hương thơm an toàn, tự nhiên, không gây dị ứng cho bé nhé!

Games for children under 1 year old: Fragrant flowers and cycling Every day passes, your baby will perceive and learn more from the world around him. And thanks to the mother's games, the baby's developmental ability is also "upgraded". Help your child develop skills with these 2 simple games, moms

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