Don't want your little one to be forgetful? Here are some tips from the doctor.

Brain development begins while the baby is still in the mother’s womb, with an increase in the size and number of nerve cells in the brain. Even after birth, the brain continues to develop and grows rapidly during the first 3 years. Therefore, parents should nurture their child’s brain development during the first 3 years and do so continuously.

Enhance your child’s brain development… with these methods

After the first 3 years, there is a process of pruning neural circuits. Circuits that are frequently used and stimulated will be retained, while those that are not used or rarely stimulated will be eliminated and deteriorate. This allows nerve cells to cluster, connect, and function more efficiently. Therefore, the first 3 years of a child’s life is a crucial time for parents to focus on brain development training. The following are ways to help your child have a good brain and memory:

• Eat nutritious food – Provide children with a variety of foods covering all 5 food groups, containing essential vitamins and minerals in appropriate proportions, especially foods rich in DHA, iron, vitamin B, and iodine, which are necessary for the nervous system and brain function.
• Ensure your child gets enough sleep – Adequate sleep not only allows the body to rest fully but is also the time when the brain records memories. Upon waking, the brain is clear, enabling accurate learning and memory retention.
• Let your child learn from activities they are interested in – Children learn best when doing things they are interested in and feel relaxed. Parents should find interesting and fun activities in a relaxed environment without too much stress, suitable for the child’s age, such as peekaboo, hide and seek, hiding objects for toddlers to find, and for older children, matching pictures, assembling puzzles, crossword games, etc.
• Read stories or sing songs with your child frequently – Parents should read stories together with children or sing songs often, especially rhyming songs or stories, which help children remember the story and lyrics better.
• Practice note-taking with older children – When children encounter daily events, encourage them to take notes in their own way, which could be drawing pictures or writing short stories in their own language.
• Encourage children to practice and review what they have learned frequently – After returning from school, let children talk about their daily activities, read books, do homework, and regularly review lessons. Repeated review helps the brain retain information longer.

Patients will begin to have difficulties in self-care, start neglecting themselves because they cannot decide what should or should not be done. They cannot perform daily routines independently, such as buttoning their shirt, bathing themselves, combing hair, or brushing teeth because they forget how or why to do these tasks. They may have mood swings, irritability, dislike socializing, which leads to changes in personality. At this stage, patients often cannot help themselves, have reduced physical movement, or are bedridden. Memory worsens significantly, and they become indifferent and uninterested in anything, to the point of not recognizing close people or even their own name. They may exhibit violent behavior and emotions, throw objects, eat messily, thus requiring 24-hour care.

It can be seen that these symptoms or behaviors are not just forgetfulness but changes in four areas: 1. Memory 2. Thinking 3. Speech 4. Behavior or actions. Therefore… if close relatives pay attention and frequently observe elderly family members, when early symptoms or behaviors are noticed, they should take them to see a doctor to slow the progression of the disease. Alzheimer’s disease is not a sudden illness. Proper treatment from the beginning can help patients maintain a good quality of life for a long time.

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