Secret Life of Babies, DVD

What can a baby see and hear? How does a baby explore the world? Why can they swim underwater? How do they communicate? And why do toddlers have temper tantrums? The first three years are the most important of a human's entire life—it's when we learn to walk, talk, and socialize. But as an adult, baby behavior is both mystifying and fascinating. Using the latest specialist filming techniques, this program reveals the 'natural history' of a baby starting with newborns and following their growth and development as they become toddlers. Get ready to see your baby in a whole new way. A BBC Production.

Length: 47 minutes

ORDER CODE: BVL86547

ISBN: 9781600579615

Copyright date: ©2014

Closed Captioned


Contents

Baby Brain Research (02:49)
Studies revealed new insights about how babies perceive the world. We develop most during the first two years of our lives. A baby's first breath reroutes the blood stream from the placenta to the lungs—one of many infant survival mechanisms.

Infant Survival Mechanisms (04:02)
Newborns have a grasping reflex and instinctively look for milk. Crying tones differ depending on hunger or tiredness. A reflex stops them from breathing when submerged and they kick out to swim forward.

Survival Miracle (03:59)
A mother describes her six month old son falling into the ocean. Submerged for six minutes, he lived—partially due to the freezing temperature slowing brain cell death. Neonatal doctors sometimes cool babies to hypothermia to prevent brain damage.

Baby Perception (03:56)
Pets evolved to mimic "cute" baby features to appeal to our nurturing instinct. Scientists think babies have double vision, with a focus point 20 cm from their face. They can't process colors well, but respond to high contrasts.

Baby Hearing (02:15)
Newborns recognize their mother's voice, but hear everything with an echo. In the womb, the mother's heartbeat sounds at 90 decibels—explaining why they fall asleep easily in cars.

Infant Brain Activity (02:56)
During the first three months, babies sleep 16 hours a day, dreaming to process new information. Every new sensory experience contributes to development, but neurons aren't yet organized; they may "taste" color or "feel" sounds.

Baby Brain Development (03:46)
Thomas was diagnosed with epilepsy at three months, caused by brain swelling. Doctors operated immediately to increase his chances of rewiring functions to intact brain areas. Despite losing the use of half his brain, he should lead a normal life.

Early Physical Development (02:06)
Babies are born with 70 more individual bones than adults. Some fuse, such as skull plates, and others appear later, such as knee caps. Milk provides energy for rapid growth rates.

Baby Diet (01:44)
Milk fat is vital for brain development, but babies need more calories by six months. They are adverse to bitter tastes and prefer foods mothers ate during pregnancy. Messy eaters learn faster.

Exploring the World (03:28)
Trial and error teaches babies about touching many things. Most have an aversion to plants, but don't know about dangerous animals. Crawling allows them to indulge in curiosity; within a few weeks of mobility they become cautious about heights.

Learning to Walk (03:43)
Babies sit, crawl, and walk at their own pace. Georgie was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, resulting in stiff leg muscles. Water therapy helped her learn to stand and use her legs.

Communication Development (04:17)
Scientists found that "waddling" helps babies balance. Voice recognition begins in the womb; crying, smiling and laughing are the first forms of expression. After recognizing self, they become egocentric and throw tantrums—but soon learn to empathize with others.

Language Development (02:03)
Adults can only decipher 45 different speech sounds while babies can hear 150. They learn words by watching our mouths; new research shows that babble may have meaning for them.

Language Comprehension (03:00)
Twins Ella and Fin were born to deaf parents. They started learning sign language at six months, and are now learning spoken words. They prove babies can understand more than they can say.

Early Development Summary (01:29)
During the first two years of our lives we learn how to think, feel, walk, talk, and relate to the outside world—without remembering the experience.

Credits: Secret Life of Babies (00:38)