The Shanghai Women's Federation and several well-known local pediatricians yesterday established a center to help young couples learn how to best educate babies during their first year of life.

"The brain's speed of development for a newborn to a year-old baby is 1,000 times faster than that of a 15-year-old child," said pediatrics expert Liu Xiangyun, a former presi-dent of Fudan University's Children's Hospital, one of the organizers of the Libei Instruction Center for Babies' Growth.

"So we need to instruct parents on how to facilitate the development of their baby's brain immediately after the child is born."

The center, in south-western Shanghai, is an arm of the Xuhui Institute of Maternal and Child Hygiene.

Pediatrics specialist Lu Xianxiang said early education helps ensure that parents can take care of babies born prematurely.

"My wife and I came especially for the consulta-tion," said Shang Bingguo, father of a 16-month-old girl. "I didn't receive such an education earlier. We got our prenatal education first-hand when my wife was pregnant."

The center can be reached on the Web (zzj@sh120.com) or by a hot line (1600-9453).

(Eastday.com.cn 06/04/2001)