Tidbits From...

Thomas Verny's 'The Secret Life Of Unborn Child' ...

o ...Contrasts catch his attention - in fact, his attraction for them is in one of the reasons a mother may have trouble establishing direct eye contact. His gaze strays naturally

o ...to the exciting contrast provided by her hairline. This sometimes upsets a new mother who must chase her infants’ eyes to establish direct eye contact.

o ...Next to sight, sound is a newborns’ principal tool for exploring his new world..... the one uniquely suited to his hearing capabilities is the human voice.... adults instinctively raise their pitch and speak in 5 to 15 second intervals, new tests shows that this particular combination of timing and sound arouses and holds a newborns very brief attention span better than any other.

o ....recent report indicates there area at least 4 odors that make a strong impression on him....licorice, garlic, vinegar; the 4th is his mother....

o ...within a month, he is able t recall his mothers face, he is still loooking larrgely at her eyes & forehead....

o ...a few weeks are all he needs to learn his schedule (eating times) and ...he does not like unexpected alteration sin it.

o ....demonstrates conclusively the presence of well developed (one could say adult) thinking, including the handling of abstract ideas, in the new-born.

o ...a child needs instant encouragement - meaning within 5 or 6 seconds - or he will not associate it with his behaviors ....he will not feel encouraged to speak more etc...