Understanding Brain Development in Children: A Parent Workshop Series

This presentation delves into the crucial stages of brain development in children from birth to age three, emphasizing the rapid formation of neural connections and the significant influence of various factors such as relationships, environment, and experiences. It highlights the importance of prenatal care, focusing on the mother's diet and lifestyle, with specific nutrients like folate, vitamin C, iron, and omega-3 fats being essential for optimal brain development. The presentation underscores the role of attachment, advocating for caregivers to be present and responsive to create a secure environment for babies, fostering positive perceptions of the world. It also addresses the significance of nutrition, recommending breastfeeding for the first two years and encouraging healthy eating habits by involving toddlers in meal preparation and avoiding processed foods. Furthermore, the presentation examines the detrimental effects of stress on children's brain development, particularly the impact of cortisol, and suggests strategies for managing stress by creating peaceful environments and resolving conflicts constructively. The presentation concludes by referencing relevant literature, providing a comprehensive overview of key factors influencing early brain development.

Process of brain development in child
• Brain of child undergoes an important period o f development
form the period of birth to that of three
• Production of large number of neural connections takes place
for about million neural connections each second
• Brain development is influenced by many factors like child’s
relationships, environments and experiences.

prenatal period
• kind of food that is taken up by the mother during this period
has a huge impact on brain development of the child
• diet and lifestyle are said by nutritionist to be very important
as they help in the development of the brain of the baby

Initiatives that mothers should take
• food high in nutrients should be always taken by such mothers
• they should take twice the amount of nutrients required but
that does not necessarily mean taking twice the amount of
food that is required
• folate, vitamin C, iron, omega three fats and even iron are
important nutrients

Attachment
• Caregivers should always stay nearby or in close proximity
with their babies
• when babies do not find their caregivers nearby, they feel
stress and nervous that affects their brain

How to develop attachment
• parents should not only stay nearby but in order to
develop sense of attachment, the caregivers should
try to understand what makes the babies secure and
how they can make their babies secure
• baby develop the feelings that present care about
them and therefore develop positive perceptions of
their immediate world

How to develop attachment
• starts even before the born of the child
• mothers should talk, sing with the baby and touch their womb
often with an affectionate feeling
• baby should be hold only in a straight manner and not in
sleeping position
• should be cuddled and interacted with smile and playfulness
in upsetting hours

Nutrition
• Mothers are advised to provide breast milk to their children
for their babies for the first two years
• breast milk comprises of many important antibodies and
nutrients that help the brain to not only develop properly but
also keep babies safe from infections

How to develop good food habits
• parents are also advised not to provide the babies with
extremely costly food like expensive vitamins and similar
others
• Parents should familiarize babies with the use of healthy food
making babies develop the habit of liking healthy food only
and motivating them by being an example herself

How to develop good food habits
• toddlers should be involved in simple cooking activities and
meal preparation so that they can develop good relationships
with healthy foods.
• Processed food lack nutrients and should be avoided
• ingredients of the food like low salt, low fat, low sugar
• Parents should provide importance to babies’ cues when they
are full

Stress
• Stress has the potential to create heart issues and immune
system issues in the babies and the children
• important hormone called cortisol that is called the stress
hormone that affects the ways by which brain is wired up
• Babies who have stress in the childhood can result in
development of adults who have heart problems

How to handle stress
• Anger, violence, deprivation and feeling of left alone have
negative effects on babies by creating stress
• Violence in home or neighborhood, aggression among
parents, divorces or illnesses among the parents create stress
in babies that affects babies’ development