Table 1 Cognitive stimulation messages

Key message

Making eye contact and talking to their children

• Encourage caregivers to look into baby’s eyes, smile and talk/sing to their baby

• Provide ways for child to see, hear, move their arms and legs freely, and touch (e.g., Caregivers are taught to slowly move colorful objects in front of the child)

• Caregivers are taught to not cover the child’s face for long periods of time

Responsive feeding and caregiving

• Teach caregivers that children learn to communicate their needs through movements, sounds and cries. For example, children show interest in breastfeeding by becoming fussy, sucking their hand, or moving their heads toward the breast.

• Caregivers are taught to emulate the child’s movements and sounds. Copying the child’s sounds and movements helps caregivers pay closer attention to the child. By imitating the child’s sounds, or movements, the child will often then repeat the activity, in order to get the caregiver to respond again. This increases the child’s attempts to make sounds and move, and the caregiver’s pleasure.

Singing songs, including those with gentle touch

• Encourage the use of core songs based on cultural practices and accompany each by gentle touch

• Caregivers are taught that skin-to-skin contact is good and they are encouraged to gently soothe, stroke and hold the child