Carol Stovold Quality Kidz qualitykidz.co.nz Tauranga

Last week I discussed how biology and the brain work together to establish attachment, encourage protection and how brain development triggers biological growth. With this knowledge it makes it easier to understand just how vital the first three years are in establishing lifelong patterns for learning, knowledge and relationships.

As mentioned in earlier articles, humans primarily need love, attention, safety, predictability and consistency in order to survive and attain our potential. In order for the brain to grow faster and more fully, it needs body movement, exercise, laughter and fun, music and singing. One of the concerns for babies in today's society is that they are often not able to get the degree and freedom of movement that was customary for children two or more decades ago.

A point to consider here is that often babies are lifted from a bed in the morning, placed into a highchair to eat, taken from the highchair to the car seat and placed in a car, taken from the car seat to a stroller where they sit until returned to the car seat. They may then be taken from the car seat and put back into a highchair to eat before being put into bed. They may then return back to the car seat whilst older siblings are picked up from school, taken to sports etc. They may or may not be returned to the stroller again, then back to the car seat. They may then be put into an exosaucer or baby walker whilst dinner is prepared, then back into the highchair, into the bath and then back in bed. In all of this process the use of ‘baby traps' prohibits the freedom of movement vital for brain growth and development. Do babies get enough ‘time' to lie on the floor and develop movement?

One indicator of a good childcare service that caters for babies is that there are no highchairs or ‘baby traps' used whilst children are in care. After all, these were invented primarily to meet adult's needs rather than children's. If the adults are truly able to spend all of their time caring for the children they do not require these types of equipment.

Some time ago when I was at school, there was a big push for children to achieve at the three R's. These were writing, reading and arithmetic. I would go further to suggest that before children even get to school, the most vital three R's are – Relationships, Relationships & Relationships. Emotional engagement and self regulation is learnt through relationships with other people. Given that the frontal cortex for children is not available until the age of three, it is important to remember that the period of time it takes to self regulate and calm down after being stressed is set by the brain in the first two years of life. This is established entirely by how responsive, calm and consistent the caregiver is whether the parent or another adult. Habitual ways of responding to others is also established by the age of two.

So next time your young child throws a tantrum remember the quicker you calm them down the more likely they are later in life to be able to self regulate stress.

Next week – Next week more on the importance of 0-3