Ensuring the Healthy Development of Your Child’s Brain

Using cutting edge technology such an in-depth MRI scans, scientists today have painstakingly put together each and every process that our brains undergo in their development, from conception to death. In the course of this research, the scientific community has reached a virtual consensus that the major chunk of our brain’s development falls in the age 0-3 category, setting the stage and factors for life ahead in a myriad of ways. It is at this stage that greatest care must be taken to ensure that a child enjoys opportunities to explore, create, make mistakes and learn in an environment of love, trust and happiness. The inculcating of the values you want your child to espouse in this period itself is crucial, and it is during this phase that these values, or the lack of them, get cemented.

The Newborn Brain

At birth, our brains have already undergone some degree of development – we have the ability to breathe, see, eat, sleep, hear, smell, vocalize and recognize the touch and faces of people close to us. But this is minor compared to the rapid growth experienced up till age 3, at which the brain is already at 75% of its expected adult size. All areas of the brain experience this growth and development, from logic, reason and language to creativity, personality and individual tendencies. Billions of new cells are produced in this period and literally hundreds of trillions of cell connections are formed within the brain (1000 trillion synapses by age 3).

Nature vs. Nurture

The science has confirmed to us what we intuitively know: that both our genetics and the environment play equally important roles in defining who we become as individuals. Genes set the wiring and basic framework of our nervous systems, while experience moulds, shapes and fine tunes this elaborate network to make us who we are. Genes are responsible for the proper functioning of this system, its development and maintenance, and in this sense, the roles they play are fixed. Experience and the surrounding environment play the part of the dynamic element that makes us distinct individuals, and even go so far as to influence the physical structure of the brain during development! This clearly indicates that a lack of care, stimulation and parental warmth heavily contribute to the inadequate development of healthy mind, leading the flaws in the child’s (and eventually adult’s) persona.

Critical Period

It is thus easily understood that this is a critical period of a child’s life, and that careful attention needs to be paid to all aspects of his/her upbringing to ensure that all areas of the mind get their stimulation, exercise and training.

• Your baby is building his visual skills, and identifies things and people. Encourage and reward this behavior, as it builds spatial and recognition abilities.
• Verbal input from the parent is vital for language skills to develop. A child will not learn on his/her own, and needs your constant guidance with words, pronunciation and grammar.
• Be patient – Children at this stage process information slowly, as their brains are undergoing a process known as myelination, wherein the brains are forming myelin, white fatty tissue that is crucial for the clear, fast transmission of signals and messages across nerve networks.
• Memories – As babies, we are all born with implicit memories. These are subconscious memories, such as remembering the sound of a mother’s voice. Explicit Memory develops from age 2, and thus the system of conscious learning, on which all behavior is based, begins.

The key to growing a healthy mind is to let it grow naturally. Let your child learn from experience and a gentle, loving guidance. Fear and stressful situations should be avoided at all costs at such an impressionable age, and remember, the more love and care you incorporate into your approach now, the happier your children will grow to be for the rest of their lives.

How to discipline your toddler with love, care and patience

“Lack of discipline is not kindness, it is neglect.”
- Infant Specialist and Childhood Educator Magda Gerber

Toddlerhood is an unpredictable, exciting experience, for both you and your child. It is the period where your little one begins to feel a sense of self and individuality, but lacks the developed logic, reasoning and communication skills to process all these changes without having tantrums and other disciplinary issues. One of the toughest, most frustrating tasks of parenting, disciplining often seems like an endless uphill struggle between the boundless curiosity of a child and the tempered learning of correct behavior.

Be Patient

It is of utmost importance to be patient and gently guide children through this phase without resorting to stress-inducing punishments or other anxiety causing activities. Remember, disciplining is meant to teach and guide, and not to scold and reprimand.

Keep your composure

Staying calm and composed keeps things cool for both you and your children. Make a concerted effort to avoid stressful situations. Nobody has spent more time with your toddler than you have, and you know best what upsets and soothes them. Nothing makes them feel more upset than hunger, sleepiness and a rapid shift to an unfamiliar environment, so diligently making sure all these are attended to in advance can go a long way.

Order and Consistency

Consistency is one major factor in this process. If the laptop is not to be touched today, it’s not to be touched tomorrow, and so on. Don’t get put off by repetition, as toddlers require a fair bit of it to inculcate the message into their tender little minds. Make it a point to be firm, but gentle.

Explain and Educate

Be well defined in your instructions. Set rules and make it clear what kind of behavior is fine and what is unacceptable. Simply saying ‘no’ to everything will not teach your child, as they will start to tune it out after a while. Follow it up with simple reasoning – ‘That’s not a toy’, ‘Daddy uses that for work’, ‘Don’t eat this, your tummy will hurt a lot’. This gives them a clear understanding of why such behavior is disapproved so repeat as many times as needed.

Art of distraction

If your child is behaving in a way that you deem inappropriate try to quickly redirect them to another enjoyable, allowed activity. For instance, if a child is playing with a glass vase, you could try distracting your child by directing him to a toy exclaiming, “Wow! What a lovely toy we have here.” Try not to force an activity on a child, instead distract and divert; it helps avoid a show-down between parents and toddlers.

Talk about it

Nobody said teaching discipline has to happen only in unpleasant situations such as a public reprimanding in supermarkets or flights, once something has been broken or bitten, or as a reaction to misbehavior itself. Explain dos and don’ts to your toddler in a happy, casual way, just like you would teach them about anything. Tell them stories with morals that affirm the same behavior you are trying to instill. This way, your child does not start to think of you as a ‘police’ like figure, which would lead to behave in front of you, but not so with others. Keep your little one as calm and relaxed as possible, and they will learn and absorb best. Never withhold affection, and always tell them that you love them as much as life itself.