When and how to shape a child's brain development is crucial. Many propose computer programs. But experts have the opinion that it would be useless to do it once the child's brain development has actually stopped.



The best time will be before your baby is born up to the time it reaches 3 years old. During this time, you can create a lot of impact in your child's brain and its capacity to learn for the rest of their life.

It may appear unusual to begin even before a child is able to read, write or reason, but there are studies to back this and it has shown that all these skills begin to develop even before a child goes to kindergarten.

In the latest research published in Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology [Vol. 42: 174-181], doctors studied 56 babies, as young as 5 days old, and gave them a diet supplement of omega 3 fish oil fatty acids and DHA.

The set of babies that were given DHA showed significantly higher cognitive and motor skills, as compared to the other set of babies (those without fish oil supplements) based on the "Mental Development Index."

This group of doctors has come to conclude that an early dietary supplement of fish oil with DHA plays a dynamic part in determining great improvement in performance and mental development in full term babies.

A study made on premature babies, which was published in the Clinics of Perinatology, [Vol. 22(1):157-75], claimed that premature babies also benefit from fish oil. They were given supplements of omega 3 fatty acids with DHA and showed great improvements in both cognitive and visual development.

These are only a few of the several studies conducted which can give proof that the secret to a child's brain development is getting sufficient amounts of omega 3 with DHA.

DHA consists of rich long-chain omega 3 in the brain tissue. Roughly 95% of these lipids can be found during birth and develops to be a part of these tissues even inside the uterus and continues during the first year of life.

Women should eat more fish and get dietary supplements of fish oil during pregnancy. It is a good way to enhance a child's brain development and assures a child's intelligence and better ability to learn in the future.

After that, be sure that you breast-feed during the first year. High amounts of omega 3's can be found in breast milk.

A result of research was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and it showed that a minimum amount of dietary fish oil with DHA helps to significantly elevate breast milk content. [Vol. 40, 780-785]

The study on brain development influenced my wife to use fish oil during her pregnancy and nursing and also supplement the diet of our children with salmon oil while they were just six months old.

It was not difficult to give them the supplements. We extracted it from the capsule, placed it in a spoon and made them drink it. We are proud to say how people have observed them to be so smart and they have nice test scores to prove it.

However, the best part is they are happy and healthy children too. Give your kids fish oil and you will be happy you did.