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Thanks to www.happynews.com for featuring early child development expert Dr. John Love's "How to boost your child's brain power".

These are just easy steps that we parents forget or overlook when rearing our kids.

Although the brain is made to learn, we still need to stimulate it if we want our children to be good learners. The stimulation that children needs should be done early on in childhood, better known as the "golden window of opportunity", otherwise it might be too late to stimulate his mind, and might hamper his ability to learn later on in life. Further, it is important that the baby's environment is filled with bright colors (their rooms and toys), music, talking, play and love. These stimulants will not only help them intellectually but also build self-esteem.

Here are Dr. Love's 10 Things to Boost a Baby's Brain Power:

1. Interaction. Spend time each day watching and listening to your baby. A baby must see and hear you or his brain power and self concept will suffer.

2. Loving Touch. This should come easily, but in truth, not all babies are held and touched as much as they should be. It is critical that a baby be held, hugged and cradled often each and every day.

3. Stable Relationships. Babies need consistency, just like older children. Fear and uncertainty thwart growth, so children need loving, consistent relationship with adults.

4. A Safe, Healthy, Environment. If children are going to grow up healthy and intelligent, they need a good, safe place to live and explore. Be sure to plug unused electrical outlets, blocks stairs, lock cabinets, and keep small or breakable items out of their reach.

5. Self Esteem. Be sure to be positive with your interaction with your child. When children misbehave, try to see it as a chance to teach and not punish. Let your child know that you think she is smart, pretty and worthwhile.

6. Quality Child Care. So many children are in child care these days and it is very important that children are in a quality facility. Dr. Love says to make sure the facility is filled with workers who love children. Where they teach and nurture children, interacting with them throughout the day. He says a place where children sit alone in cribs for hours or where they sit and watch TV all day can harm a child's development.

7. Communication. We've already discussed interaction, but this involves specifically talking to your children. Children learn their speaking and communication skills from their parents so parents need to talk to their children early and often.

8. Play. Play is one of the most important activities a baby can do. He needs the stimulation of playing with toys, other children and his parents. Parents must remember to play with their children every day because this is one of the most important ways children learn.

9. Music. This one may be one of the easiest to forget, but it is very important. Music helps teach math skills, communication skills, language, counting, etc. Studies have shown that young children exposed to music fare better on intelligence tests later.

10. Reading. Parents need to read to their children every day. We start by reading to babies, then continue until they older children. Find books with lots of pictures and let them tell you about the pictures when they are old enough. If we can make a child love reading at an early age, he will be a reader for life.