The Positive Impact of Early Nurturing

The architecture of a baby’s brain is built through responsive and interactive relationships with parents and caregivers. When babies are held, touched and spoken to, in a back and forth way, called “serve and return”, from early in life, this fundamentally and positively affects the connections in the baby’s brain and lasts a lifetime. Early relationships prepare a baby to grow to be able to learn, form relationships with others and respond to the world. The first two years of life are critically important.

Critical Periods in Brain Development

Neuroscience and epigenetics teach us that there are windows, called critical periods, in a child’s development when children’s brains are more receptive to experiences and when these take place at the right time, they positively affect the child’s wellbeing and health for the rest of their life.

There is still a message of hope for those who have not had the early nurturing they need. Neuroscience also teaches us that new neurons and new connections between neurons can develop later in childhood and into mid-life, so all is not lost. However, the key message is early nurturing lasts a lifetime.

Featuring:

Dr. Thomas Boyce

A Time for Integration and Connection

There is nothing harder or more rewarding than parenting. It is an honor. As a human family it is important to support each other to understand the science of parenting.

Reframing Difficult Parenting Moments

Through self-reflection parents can learn to “reframe” or find meaning in the difficulties they have experienced. In this way they deepen their self-understanding and move from pain to opportunity.

Featuring:

Dr. Dan Siegel

Tips for Healthy Social and Emotional Development

This trailer provides an overview of the key messages found in the full-length video “Emotional Safety”. Seven renowned specialists in early childhood share key messages about the importance of early nurture and what you can do to help your child grow to be socially and emotionally healthy.

Ensure Baby Feels Loved, Nurtured, Special, and Safe

Early childhood experts and authentic parents, from many walks of life, including an Indigenous elder, model ways to ensure your child feels emotional safe.

Developed with Vancouver Native Health Society

Special thanks to Nadine Gagné and Children of the Rainbow Drum Group for generously donating their music

 Featuring:

Dr. Evan Adams, Dr. Nils Bergman, Dr. Thomas Boyce, Dr. Adele Diamond, Dr. Andrew Macnab, Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, Dr. Janet Werker

Secure Attachment is Important to Children

It is a challenge for parents with unresolved trauma to raise a baby. They see the baby as themselves and feel the child’s vulnerability. For example, it is essential for a parent who has experienced sexual abuse to get help to overcome this trauma. Parents who are able to reflect on their experiences, even negative ones, and make sense of them, can develop a secure attachment with their child.

You Can Reframe Your Experience

In life, it isn’t what happens to you that is most important, it is how you make sense of the experience. Parents’ ability to make sense of what has happened to them in their own childhood is the best predictor of their child’s ability to become securely attached.

Featuring:

Dr. Dan Siegel

Research Shows that it is Optimal to Place New Babies Skin-to-Skin with their Mother

Skin-to-skin babies are warmer and have higher blood sugar, they breathe better and are more awake and able to look at and connect with their mother.

A Newborn is Familiar with its Mother Before Birth and Feels Safest on Her Skin After Being Born

There are also other considerations for babies’ well-being. Babies need an attachment environment of people who will be constantly close to them for the first few years of their lives.  Compensating for a lack of a primary caregiver can be hard work, but does not doom the baby, as long as the right interventions take place, which might involve speech therapists or occupational therapists, depending on the need.

DISCLAIMER: Near the end, this video has a child sleeping on his father, on the couch and this is NOT safe. KidCareCanada does not advocate this practice.

Featuring:

Dr. Nils Bergman

Baby Talk and How it Changes

We naturally modify our speech when talking to babies. We use a higher-pitched voice and simplified wording. This is part of a communication process that varies with age and matches children’s developmental needs. This video is the fifth and final chapter of a series called “Born to Communicate” and it discusses the importance of infant-directed and child-directed speech as part of language acquisition. What roles do you and the community play in your child’s language development? (key messages appear on-screen)

The Importance of Infant-directed and Child-directed Speech as Part of Language Acquisition

When children are well-fed, well-rested and feel secure they are able to learn. Infant-directed speech and child-directed speech help infants and young children to feel safe. This way of speaking tends to be universal. Even young children change the way they speak to babies and children younger than themselves, and use this higher-pitched and sing-song voice.

Featuring:

Dr. Janet Werker, Lilian May, Dr. Thomas Boyce, Dr. Nils Bergman, Dr. Carolyn Steinberg, Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn

The Positive Impact of Early Nurturing

The architecture of a baby’s brain is built through responsive and interactive relationships with parents and caregivers. When babies are held, touched and spoken to, in a back and forth way, called “serve and return”, from early in life, this fundamentally and positively affects the connections in the baby’s brain and lasts a lifetime. Early relationships prepare a baby to grow to be able to learn, form relationships with others and respond to the world. The first two years of life are critically important.

Critical Periods in Brain Development

Neuroscience and epigenetics teach us that there are windows, called critical periods, in a child’s development when children’s brains are more receptive to experiences and when these take place at the right time, they positively affect the child’s wellbeing and health for the rest of their life.

There is still a message of hope for those who have not had the early nurturing they need. Neuroscience also teaches us that new neurons and new connections between neurons can develop later in childhood and into mid-life, so all is not lost. However, the key message is early nurturing lasts a lifetime.

Featuring:

Dr. Thomas Boyce

Communication between Babies and Caregivers Starts at the Beginning of Life

Birth is an enormous transition for your baby. During their time in the womb, all of baby’s needs are met, without asking. Once babies are born, they must communicate and express their needs in order to have them met by their caregivers.

What can you do to Prepare Your Baby for Language Development?

Babies have heard language since before they were born and they are ready to learn. In the presence of language, babies explore their world in more detail. Talk to babies and mimic their sounds. Take turns in conversation and practice serve-and-return. Sing and read to babies. Parents are role models, and even parents who cannot read can share books with their babies to encourage a love of reading that will last throughout life.

Featuring:

Dr. Carolyn Steinberg, Dr. Thomas Boyce, Dr. Janet Werker, Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, Dr. Andrew Macnab

Tips for Healthy Social and Emotional Development

This trailer provides an overview of the key messages found in the full-length video “Emotional Safety”. Seven renowned specialists in early childhood share key messages about the importance of early nurture and what you can do to help your child grow to be socially and emotionally healthy.

Ensure Baby Feels Loved, Nurtured, Special, and Safe

Early childhood experts and authentic parents, from many walks of life, including an Indigenous elder, model ways to ensure your child feels emotional safe.

Developed with Vancouver Native Health Society

Special thanks to Nadine Gagné and Children of the Rainbow Drum Group for generously donating their music

 Featuring:

Dr. Evan Adams, Dr. Nils Bergman, Dr. Thomas Boyce, Dr. Adele Diamond, Dr. Andrew Macnab, Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, Dr. Janet Werker

Every Child has a Unique Set of Experiences

If human development depends largely on the external environment then why is it that siblings, even identical twins, have different emotional responses? One child might become an addict or have behavioural difficulties while the other does not. The answer is that no two children have the same environment and the same parents.

The Changing Emotional State of the Parents Matters More than Their Physicality

If the parents are stressed during one pregnancy as opposed to the other or their relationship alters or the financial situation changes, there will be an impact on the child’s development. Moreover, human development has a recursive nature, which means parents are also shaped by the children and can be triggered in response to each child’s unique temperament. Parent-child relationships can be improved when parents are more conscious and mature about their responses to their children’s unique natures.

Featuring:

Dr. Gabor Maté