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Home › Articles › Development › Infant's Intelligence
Quotient (IQ)

Infant's Intelligence
Quotient (IQ)

Can Parenting Techniques Lead to Higher IQs in Babies?

By Kelly Burgess

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  • Model good behavior. This seems like a no-brainer, but it extends to simple, everyday things such as telling a child not to lie and then asking someone to tell a caller that you're not home. Even very young children pick up on everything.

  • Make a plan. Start before you get pregnant, or at the very least while you're pregnant. Think about the kind of adult you want your child to become and the kind of child you want them to be. When Dr. Mike does these exercises for adults they often say they want their child to be smart, but they invariably add qualities such as "kind," "compassionate," "caring," etc. If this is the child you want to raise, this is the adult you need to be. If you feel you're not up to the task or don't have the character education yourself, there are a number of places you can turn to for help before your child is born.

    • There may never be an answer to the nature versus nurture debate, but there's no doubt that a child's environment plays a huge role in bringing out a child's intellectual potential. However, just being intelligent is not enough to ensure long-term success. Forming an attachment with your infant and showing that attachment through interaction, while modeling the kind of behavior that you would like to pass on to your children, will make them smarter babies and you a smarter, more successful, adult.

    Smart Ways to Higher IQs

    Andrew Loh started Brainy-Child.com when his second son was born. He was interested in how to maximize his sons' IQs, but couldn't find any information on the topic, so he decided to create his own site to help other parents. The site is filled with the latest research on everything from birth order to the best foods for children's intellectual development. There's also a monthly newsletter that keeps readers up to date on ongoing research and studies.

    Another useful site is Tina Blue's Teacher, Teacher. Combining her college teaching expertise with her 18 years' experience in nurturing gifted children in her home daycare, she has put together suggestions for improving a child's understanding of mathematics, which becomes more crucial as a child gets older.

    While most peer-reviewed data suggest that the best way to raise an infant's IQ is through interaction, these resources can certainly provide ideas for parents who may not be sure what type of interaction is best, as well as tips to maximize their child's intellectual growth as the child grows.

    The Bookshelf

    Both book titles mentioned in the article, What's Going on in There? How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life (Bantam, 2000) by Dr. Lise Eliot and Brilliant Babies, Powerful Adults: Awaken the Genius Within (Select Press, 1997) by Dr. John Mike, are available at the iParenting Bookshelf.


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