Why Is Your Oldest Child Your Smartest Child?
Parents of several children have long recognized that parenting standards are getting lower with each additional child.
While your firstborn can get homemade, organic puree baby food, the second gets store-bought groceries, and the third gets some of what everyone else eats for dinner. It’s just a part of the territory that is home to additional creatures that need extra care, while you still have the same number of hands and hours a day.
But while you let some things slide, one standard you might want to maintain is the amount of mental stimulation you give your newborn baby. Because – at the risk of my older brother reading it – a study published in the Journal of Human Resources found that newborn babies score lower on cognitive scores than their older siblings at age one:
Differences in parenting behavior can explain most of the differences in cognitive ability before school enrollment. Our results indicate that wide shifts in parenting behavior from firstborn to newborn babies are a plausible explanation for the observed differences in birth order in education and labor market outcomes.
It makes sense. With only one child, you had all the time in the world to read books and talk about flowers, letters, animals, and all other educational things. And with two kids (or three or more), you’re more likely to be like, “Eh, this is what school is for.” Firstborns receive the most mental stimulation, according to a study based on the National Longitudinal Youth Survey .
As Today.com reports, the consequences are not only documented early on, but prevail throughout the child’s life:
Previous research has shown that babies born later have lower IQs and earn less money than their older siblings. They were also less likely to graduate from high school and complete fewer years of education. They were more likely to become teenage moms or were convicted of a crime.
The study notes that there are several other factors, including that mothers are less likely to quit drinking in subsequent pregnancies, later seek antenatal care, and are less likely to breastfeed.
Of course, it is indeed beneficial for a younger brother to have an older brother or sister who he can learn from, and in turn, younger siblings have been shown to be credited with teaching empathy to their older colleagues. But when it comes to direct mental stimulation, they need a little more.
So, whenever possible, read an additional book, solve a puzzle with them, or collect these fun toys.