3.3 Caring through everyday experiences
Early brain development is shaped by the thousands of little things that happen minute-by-minute and day-by-day. A baby’s world is filled with sensory input: the seeing, tasting, touching and being touched, the sounds and smells of daily life. Much of this happens through daily care routines. Certain parts of the baby’s brain register information from the senses and other parts organize it into patterns. It is the baby’s way of learning about and understanding their world.
As the brain develops into the preschool years and beyond, sensations and perceptions connect to more sophisticated parts of the brain that are responsible for more advanced tasks. As we have seen, healthy early brain development gives a healthy foundation for later development.
The following scenes show some parents and babies engaged in typical care routines.
There is a wide variety of caregiving practices around the world, often rooted in cultural traditions and beliefs. Some traditional North American Indigenous peoples used moss bags to wrap infants. The caregivers used the moss bags together with cradleboards to keep their babies close to them. The caregiver could carry or wear the cradleboard or set it on the ground near them. Moss bags and cradleboards were integral to how adults took care of and taught their children.
Listen now as Audrey Fourre, a family literacy facilitator with the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre, shares Indigenous teachings of the moss bag.
Sensitivity and responsiveness
Sensitivity includes being able to imagine how the baby is feeling and how things appear from his/her perspective. It is interesting to note the baby has a role to play. For example, a baby with immature systems may be harder to “read”.
Responsiveness is when the caregiver can act on the baby’s cues and provide an appropriate response. There is evidence that babies who are responded to promptly and appropriately show a variety of positive outcomes, such as less frequent crying and more interest in exploring their environment (Richter, 2004).
Listen now as Dr. Megan Gunnar, professor at the University of Minnesota, explains the difference between sensitivity and responsiveness and why caregivers need to try to find the right balance. She refers to the concept of “serve and return” interaction that was introduced earlier in this module.
Gunnar describes it can be hard for parents to get it “just right”. Can you think of some examples (either from your own experience as a caregiver or from observing others) when it has been “just right” and also when the adult has been overly intrusive or what Gunnar calls “hovering”?
As you watch these three scenes of parents and children, watch for examples of sensitivity and responsiveness.
In what ways is the parent in each scene being sensitive? Responsive?
Dr. Magdalena Janus from the Offord Centre for Child Studies at McMaster University explains that while children absorb everything that goes on around them they are also “forgiving”. This is a comforting message to adults who have ever felt that they didn’t handle a situation very well.
People who work with young children and families can help parents understand that sensitive and responsive care giving is a base for healthy development. You will learn more about supporting health and well-being in the Coping and Competence module.
You have reached the end of the Brain Development Module. Researcher transcripts, references, and links related to the module topics are available on the next page.
