Research shows that reading and responding to a baby’s cues are more important to brain development than structured learning activities.  Babies who feel understood tend to learn more easily, have a positive sense of self, develop empathy, and decipher the social cues of others.  As babies are seen, understood, and felt, they begin to experience and have a greater awareness of who they are.

Eye-to-eye contact triggers pathways in babies’ brains that prepare
them for communication, helps them read and respond sensitively to
others’ cues and begin to better understand the world.  Face-to-face
contact releases hormones that stimulate positive feelings in both
parents and newborns and deepen the bond between them.

Not too gentle but not too rough! Babies are durable. There is no need to play with your baby as if they were a piece of fine china. Life is full of bumps and bruises so starting off with some “horsing around” will build up the resilience to everyday activities. When your baby falls which– a regular occurrence– comfort them in a reassuring manner but don’t pick them up and coddle them to try to get them to stop crying. THat would create positive reinforcement for crying whenever something undesirable happens. Let common sense dictate.