RESOURCES

The Baby Brain

A newborn baby’s brain is very different from yours and mine. He has about the same number of brain cells as we do but they are barely linked together. He can manage to wake, fall asleep, feed and cry but cannot carry out sophisticated thinking. Over the next three years, however, his brain will form billions of connections between nerve cells that help him think, feel and act in ever more sophisticated ways. These connections do not develop haphazardly but organise in a sequential fashion.

Birth to one year

The baby’s brainstem develops, allowing him to organise sleeping and feeding into routines. He begins to learn to control fear and stress.

One to two years

The midbrain develops to allow a child to develop mobility and to effectively use his senses of taste, touch, smell, vision, hearing and body awareness.

From one year

The emotional system of a young child develops, allowing him to express a range of different emotions, to form true relationships and to empathise with others.

From two years

The child’s cortex, the most sophisticated part of the brain, develops, facilitating ever-expanding creativity and intelligence.

Parenting in a hectic world

Life for human beings has never been so busy or so complex. For most of us, a typical day is full of stimulation, variety and stress that are often harmful to us, never mind to a young child. It is this stress that can be so damaging to a young brain, highly sensitive to what is going on all around.

According to Dr Bruce Perry of the Child Trauma Academy in the US, the brain of a young child is not as resilient as adults would like to believe. Dr Perry, the man considered the guru of childhood stress and trauma, describes a young brain as malleable something that does not throw off stress but changes because of it. Such changes may not benefit a child long-term and indeed may be harmful.

Consider what is now normal life for young babies and children. They are usually born in the complex, technological world of a busy, modern hospital where they may stay for several days. They then return home with mum and dad and are soon faced with the enormous stimulation inherent in the many visits by friends and relatives wanting to see the new baby, shopping malls, busy streets and homes with other children. If they have older siblings, they may be regular visitors to school and to sports meetings. If parents work, they may quickly be introduced to daycare and the enormous stress of many, noisy children. Even at home, they are often surrounded by lots of stress from parents and other family members who are trying to achieve more and more in an increasingly competitive world.

The result? Children may become withdrawn, unable to cope with so much stimulation, turning off to avoid sensory overload. Alternatively, they may become hyperactive and unable to calm themselves, leading to irritability, impulsivity and sleeping problems. Parents tend to interpret these behaviours as problems with the child’s personality and often become frustrated and angry with the child. This establishes a cycle of building frustration and anger, which makes the child withdraw even further or become more hyperactive, making parents even angrier. Healing arts can break this cycle, bringing rhythm, order and nurturance to both parent and child.

Soothing young minds

Natural healing techniques to calm and soothe little ones are used according to the area of the brain that is developing most at the time. The good news for parents is that these methods not only relieve stress, they also promote brain growth. A team of professionals from the Texas Children’s Hospital in the US who use these techniques for maltreated kids report: "The more we learn about the brain and brain development, the easier it is to understand why many of these non-traditional arts modalities are so enriching and in some sense therapeutic".

Birth to one comfort

A baby’s main task is to find someone to love and nurture him. Babies are designed for just that purpose: to look as cute, vulnerable and appealing as possible so parents will want to touch, hold, cuddle and love the baby. This is what a baby’s brain needs most. Parents can best nurture a baby by special forms of touch that stimulate normal brain function. One such technique is the ancient healing practice of reiki; another is infant massage.

Reiki is about 2500 years old. It is a special form of channelling the energy all around us into the body and is known as a form of biofield medicine. It isn’t only a therapy of myth; scientific evidence supports the view that reiki eases pain, heals wounds and may even affect the levels of hormones in the body. To use reiki, you need to undertake a course with a qualified reiki master. A master will attune your body to use energy, a skill you can never lose once you acquire it. Once attuned, you can use reiki to help your own brain and body unwind as well as use the skill for kids and your partner. Children very quickly become sensitive to reiki and will often seek out touch when hurt or frightened.

Infant massage is practised all over the world in many different ways. In some cultures, rhythmical stroking of a baby with gently scented oil is performed immediately after birth. As with reiki, anecdotal evidence for the effectiveness of massage has been matched with scientific proof that it really does reduce stress. According to researchers at the Touch Research Institute in Miami, Florida, premature babies given massage leave hospital earlier and full-term babies when massaged have lower levels of stress hormones in their saliva.

Avoid using aromatherapy oils on a baby until he is two weeks old, longer if he was premature. Beginning with a little oil, massage his feet and hands. If he seems to enjoy this, gradually extend the massage to include his arms and legs and then abdomen, back and face. Always watch your baby carefully to ensure he is not becoming too stressed and cease the massage if he seems fussy.

Both of these healing arts are best used as part of a daily rhythm. A baby’s brain thrives on rhythmical patterns that bring order to the chaos they often experience as they emerge from the womb. Find a similar time each day when your baby is calm yet alert and use these practices. Reiki and massage can also be helpful as part of the bedtime routine from around three months of age.

One to two - gentle awareness

As a baby becomes mobile at around the age of 12 months, there is a huge increase in the amount of information he has to deal with as he explores his world with avid curiosity. It’s easy for a baby to become over-stimulated and irritable. Specific calming yet stimulating arts can help a child master this stage of development. Music, as we all know, profoundly affects humans. Research has shown that music can reduce blood pressure and anxiety levels. Adults use music to match their mood; they may put bouncy tunes on in the morning to help wake up and soothing melodies in the evening when tired and stressed. Babies need this mix of music too.

Music with a bouncy rhythm helps babies become interested in what’s going on. This is how theme tunes for television programs become much loved they tell the child to become absorbed in the pictures. Catchy tunes are great to play in the car, when playing with toys at home to amuse and to enhance concentration and to make mealtimes more enjoyable. At night, though, something different is needed. Babies need soothing rhythms that compare to a mothers heartbeat in the womb for relaxation and safety. Sanskrit chants are excellent for this use. Om Namaha Shivaya by Robert Gass is a wonderful night-time treat for mum and child alike.

Movement, to a young child, is a way of exploring his body and how it works. In learning different ways of moving, he is learning about what his body can do and how it feels. Movement also increases the production of feel good hormones in the bloodstream that help him relax and unwind after a busy day. Videos that incorporate movement sequences are great to use for parent and child together. Movement classes for babies are also a useful idea provided the child is allowed to go at his own pace. Newer ideas in this area include baby yoga, which if done with skill can teach young children healthy habits from a very early age as well as enhance the bond between parent and child.

From one onwards - expressing emotions

As a young child’s limbic system the brains centre for emotional development begins to mature, little ones are able to experience an increasing array of emotions in addition to fear and contentment that are present early on. Jealousy, anger, love for another, satisfaction and loneliness are just a few. Early on, these emotions appear huge and overwhelming to a young child; he has not yet learnt to handle them. Healing arts can help.

One of the best ways to help a child with emotional expression is to use play therapy. You don’t need a degree in psychology to do this. A simply sand tray or box with figures will work wonders. Sitting with the child, allow him to use his imagination to play. Don’t direct him; instead sit back and watch and, if he wants you to, follow his lead and play alongside him. The way he plays can tell you a great deal about what is on his mind. A child uses play to work through his emotions, so expect him to be loud, angry, happy, excited and upset. If he is allowed to feel these emotions safely in play, he will gradually learn to cope with emotions in the world outside the home.

Children who are experiencing big emotions and lots of tantrums seem to benefit hugely from being with nature. Active engagement in the wonders of the earth has been shown to calm anxiety and fears and stimulate imagination. A child preoccupied with something difficult in life seems to come alive when faced with living things. Arrange walks in the forest, collect leaves to make pictures, visit animal farms and let a child have a small patch of garden he can work in. While enjoying himself and learning about the world outside, a child is working through difficult emotions and learning to keep calm. Parents can also benefit from being out in a non-stress environment where the clock isn’t a continual reminder of how much needs to be done.

From two onwards - using words

From the age of two, a child’s imagination seems to come alive as the cortex matures. Language becomes increasingly important in learning and communicating feelings. Healing arts that enhance language development can bring a sense of mastery and confidence to a young mind struggling to express what is happening to him inside. Stories, poems and nursery rhymes provide the building blocks for language development. Children who are read to from an early age usually find language easy to acquire and use. Stories also provide ways for a child to understand the world and how people operate, especially when there is something difficult happening. Stories can be a source of inspiration and courage as well as ideas to help a child feel in control of his world.

To enhance storytelling in your child’s life, arrange for a professional storyteller to come to your mothers group or preschool. Give them ideas as to the issues your child is currently struggling with. Professional storytellers are trained to have impeccable timing and an ability to express ideas in easy-to-understand ways. Having other children around when a story is acted out gives children a sense of working together. Best of all, allowing children to act out parts of the story gives added feelings of mastery as well as the chance to express emotions with the words and to try being different characters.