Healthy development in the early years provides the building blocks for educational achievement, economic productivity, responsible citizenship, lifelong health, strong communities, and successful parenting of the next generation.

The architecture of your baby’s developing brain

The connections (synapses) that are made between brain cells are vital for development. For example a connection in the language part of the brain will result in understanding of speech or in speech itself as illustrated in a video by the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University 

One of the most essential experiences in shaping the architecture of the developing brain is “serve and return” interaction between children and significant adults in their lives. Young children naturally reach out for interaction through babbling, facial expressions, and gestures, and adults respond with the same kind of vocalizing and gesturing back at them. This back-and-forth process is fundamental to the wiring of the brain, especially in the earliest years.

Your baby can only benefit optimally from stimulation when it is balanced, varied and meaningful and occurs at a time when he can best utilise the sensory input

Sense-able stimulation

As important as stimulation is for development; we do not want to over stimulate our babies either. It’s a fine balance that we need to aim for.

Here are a few guidelines on ‘sense-able’ stimulation:

• Appropriate stimulation at opportune times of the day is beneficial for your baby’s development. Choose a time of day when your baby has been fed and is well rested. This may possibly be after the early morning nap. In a content state, your baby will best benefit from stimulation activities.
• Overstimulation leads to fussiness, especially in young babies and is not beneficial. Watch your baby for signs of fussing and withdrawal and stimulate him only when he is calm and alert. While you are stimulating your baby he may start to show early signs of overstimulation, such as looking away, grizzling, high pitched shrieks and hand sucking. When you notice these subtle signals, stop the stimulation or remove your baby from the stimulus.
• Don’t over schedule your baby, rushing him from one activity to the next. Choose baby classes with care and thought and schedule them so they don’t interfere with your baby’s sleep times. An overtired baby will not enjoy or benefit from stimulation. As a rule of thumb: babies under three months need no additional stimulation groups, as they are very susceptible to overstimulation. Babies under six months don’t need extra stimulation in the form of a group but moms benefit immensely from meeting other moms in a group and getting ideas for stimulation or massage at home. Between six and twelve months one group a week suffices.
• Balance calming and stimulatory activities and link them to the time of day. Calm activities are important before sleep times. Keep stimulation for playtime during the day. When your baby shows signs of overstimulation, take him for a walk or put on soft calming music in this way the calming activity will also be beneficial to his development.

Aim for a fine balance when it comes to stimulating your baby

For more information on how to make the informed decision for you and your baby join us at the 2014 Johnson’s Baby Sense Seminar for #baby101.  There’s pretty much nothing that the Johnson’s Baby Sense Seminars doesn’t offer. You can expect au pairs looking after your baby on the day, expert advice covering challenges arising during specific periods of parenting (Tina Otte, Dr Claudia Gray, Ann Richardson and Megan Faure), a fun day with treats, prizes and goodie bags, plus the chance to meet pregnant moms and new parents.

Don’t miss out on this all inclusive #baby101 seminars! Book now online babysense.com/talks-and-workshops or call (021) 671 3245  facebook.com/babysense @BabySense #baby101

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Mimicking the world of the womb

Your baby’s brain acts like a sponge absorbing all the new sensory information of the world outside the womb. In the early days your baby is very susceptible to overstimulation, which can result in fussing and an unsettled baby who won’t sleep.

By keeping your baby’s world calm and mimicking the world of the womb your baby will be calmer and the transition from womb to world will be a smooth one.

 7 tips to promote a smooth and calm transition

• Sensory environment – Develop ‘sensory eyes’ to read what may be causing your baby
to be overstimulated, such as a loud and busy room or the smell of strong perfume. Remove your baby from the stimulus or change to a more calming environment.
• Self calming – Give your baby the space to
develop his/her own self calming tools, such as sucking her hands or clasping them together.
• Swaddling – Tightly wrapping your baby in a stretchy blanket has been proven to calm
young babies significantly and help them sleep well.
• Soothing touch – Baby massage is a fantastic tool for calming a baby and has all
day benefits as well as helping your baby to sleep well at night.
• Sling or pouch – Movement is lulling for your baby. By mimicking the womb environment, it
soothes babies very effectively.
• Sounds for calming – White noise (e.g. the sounds of waves or radio static) absorbs other sounds and is very calming for your baby. Lullabies and nature music help with calming and sleep.
• Stick to one strategy for 5 minutes – The last thing an overstimulated baby needs
is a lot of quick changes. Each intervention you use is a stimulus for a short time, until your baby gets used to it. So try any of the above strategies for at least 5 minutes before trying the next.

Hear more from Meg Faure at the 2014 Johnson’s Baby Sense Seminars. She’ll be talking at the morning baby seminars on how to stimulate your baby and toddler for optimal brain development. In the afternoon birth & newborn seminars she’ll be sharing her secrets to a calm newborn with tips on preventing colic and managing a fussy baby.

Dates and venues:

Durban 16 August Three Cities Riverside Hotel

Port Elizabeth 23 August The Marine Hotel

Johannesburg 6 September Woodmead Country Club

Cape Town 13 September The Vineyard Hotel

Cost per seminar is R240 and R80 for the Johnson’s baby massage workshop. If you book for both the morning Baby Seminar, the afternoon Birth & Newborn Seminar and the Johnson’s Baby Massage Workshop a discounted rate of R480 will be applicable.  Tickets include goodie bags of essential baby products, invaluable information in the seminar manuals and the chance of winning amazing prizes including a Stokke Scoot travel system. 

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• When you return home with the new baby, present her with a gift from her new sibling. A doll and accessories is always a good idea.
• Your toddler will play up and demand your attention just when you can’t give it, so expect her demands to intensify, especially if you have just sat down to feed the baby! To the best of your ability always attend to her needs first – this will make her feel secure.
• Have a pile of storybooks handy and place one of her little chairs alongside your feeding chair, so that she can sit with you and read a story when you feed the baby. This is a good habit to start, and she will start to look forward to this special time.
• When visitors arrive to see the new baby, let her show them to the nursery, and allow her to help open the baby’s gift, this way she will feel included.
• Avoid saying “don’t touch the baby” too much. She will cotton on that touching the baby gets your attention and will continue to do it. If possible ignore (unless she is feeding the baby a niknak, or holding him upside down!) Never leave her alone with the new baby.
• Use every bit of help offered.
• Take the phone off the hook when you are resting, or at least invest in a portable phone to keep alongside you.
• Limit visitors to a specific time of the day, so that you are not inundated all day. Visitors, while having your best interests at heart can kill you with kindness!
• Stick to your toddlers routine scrupulously – it will make the whole family feel more secure.
• Expect a regression in your toddler’s behaviour. She may demand a bottle or dummy again, or start wetting her bed.       Keep calm, give her what she asks for, and know that it will pass with time.
• Try to spend some special time alone with your toddler every day, even if it means quiet time in the garden for twenty minutes.
• Look after your relationship with your partner – remember that you are in this together.

Top Tip

When you are still pregnant, put together a little box of age-appropriate wrapped goodies for her (for example a small box of smarties or a toy bottle), and keep this in the baby’s room. When you are busy with the baby and cannot attend to your toddler (such as when you are changing a stinky nappy, or feeding), allow her to go to her ‘special box’ and select a present. The selection and the subsequent unwrapping and exploring will buy you the time you need to finish off your task. This way, she will only associate a positive experience with the fact that you are unable to attend to her immediately.

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Age

Begin potty training around the age of two years. Know that your toddler will become aware of the toilet at around 18 months of age. She may understand and say words such as “poo”, “wee” or “toilet”, squirm and touch her bottom, or may stop what she is doing when making a bowel movement. Don’t rush into potty training at this stag

Let your toddler learn from you

Let her accompany you to the toilet from an early age, so that she can get used to the idea, and learn from watching you – this will take the mystery and fear out of this new idea. Always tell her, “Mommy is having a wee”. Invite her to tear off the toilet paper for you, and help you flush.

If you have a son, ask your husband to invite him to accompany him to the toilet. This way, he will learn that boys do it differently to girls. Place a piece of toilet paper in the bowl and show him how to aim at the paper. If he prefers to sit down to pass urine, reassure him that it is fine and try to avoid putting pressure on him to do it ‘the right way’.

Teach your toddler the right way

Teach your daughter how to wipe from front to back, and your son to wait till the drips stop.

Toilet seats, steps and hand rails

Invest in a toilet seat with an inner and a built in step and hand rail. This way, your toddler will be able to sit comfortably on the toilet and will always have her feet on a firm surface as well as having something to hold onto.

When to delay

If your toddler is younger than 26–28 months in winter, delay toilet training until the weather improves.

Leave the nappy off

At home, leave the nappy off and remind her frequently about going to the toilet in a relaxed and friendly manner. Be prepared to go with her to the bathroom each time.

Don’t stress about “accidents” on the floor. She will eventually connect the “puddle” with the feeling that she needs to go to the toilet and will tell you she needs to go.

Don’t worry if your toddler still asks for a nappy to make a number two – this is normal, and won’t last forever.

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Try and keep this time of the day calm and quiet, so if Dad is home, try and limit the amount of horseplay and excitement that takes place – rather stick to calming, nurturing activities such as watering the garden, doing a puzzle, or play “I spy”. Avoid intensive movement activities and rough house play at this time, but encourage them in the afternoon.

Try and serve supper at roughly the same time each evening, and perform the same activities thereafter until bedtime

Follow these tips

• Tidy up – teach him to put his own dishes in the sink or dishwasher.
• Lay out his pajamas and toiletries on the bed – let him help you.
• Run a bath – let him help you (note: never leave him alone in the bathroom).
• Give him a warm, calming bath, or bath with him – add a drop of lavender or chamomile oil – a few stack toys are ideal for bath time – this is also a nice time for Dad to get involved.
• Wrap him tightly in a warmed towel when you are finished, and dry him with deep, firm strokes. Deep pressure activities such as this are most useful to help him calm down. Have a favourite song that you always sing at this time (such as “this is the way we dry ourselves….”).
• A massage (if he will let you) is a wonderful way to end off bathtime. Deep pressure touch, is for most of us, one of the most effective ways to calm when we are feeling overloaded. Massage enhances parent-child bonding, helps the child to calm to the quiet alert state, and so promotes deeper sleep. Contact the International Association of Infant Massage South Africa: 011 – 787-0681011 – 787-0681 for details of an instructor in your area.
• Have some calming, lullaby music playing softly in the background.
• If there is time before bedtime, keep all stimulation to a minimum, play quiet games such as puzzles and stacking games, and read stories (no dragon stories!) – try to remain within the ‘sleep zone’.
• Offer the last drink of the day (if appropriate).
• Last trip to the bathroom to brush teeth and wash hands, a nappy change or, if age appropriate, a loo stop! –
• Help him to choose a book for his bedtime story (if age appropriate).
• A cuddle and kiss, and into bed – no story unless he gets into bed and under the covers!
• Read a bedtime story that is age appropriate, and not too scary – stick to old favourites (toddlers love the same book over and over again). A good tip is to make up an ending that entails the hero/heroine also going to sleep! Try not to get hooked into more than one story.
• Last kiss and cuddle, and a firm and loving “goodnight”. Leave when your child is still ‘happily awake’, not drowsy or asleep. (you’ll only create an expectation to always stay with him, which may become a behavioural issue later). You may have to close the door if he keeps coming out of the room. Leave a night light on so that he is not left in the dark.
• Expect some tears (and the odd tantrum) – pop in and out the room to give cuddles and reassurance but remain consistent with your boundary – it is sleep time!

The post Establish a bedtime routine for your toddler with these tips appeared first on All4Baby.

This year’s industry professionals are Meg Faure (occupational therapist and Baby Sense co-author), Sr Ann Richardson (specialist nurse practitioner, author and parent coach), Tina Otte (midwife and special editor of Your Pregnancy magazine) and paediatrician, Dr Claudia Gray.

The seminars will address the challenges arising during specific periods of the parenting journey with BABY as the morning session theme and BIRTH & NEWBORN for the afternoon seminar.

Dr Claudia Gray will kick off the first session,demystifying your baby’s health concerns and giving tips on how to boost immunity and decrease the risk of allergies. Meg Faure will follow by taking a look at your baby’s development and how to stimulate him/her through play to ensure optimal physical, cognitive and emotional development. Sr Ann Richardson will close the session covering how to establish a sense-able sleep routine and age appropriate sleep training.

For the expecting parents, the afternoon birth & newborn seminar is not to be missed – the ultimate crash course on birth and baby’s first four months. Tina Ottewill discuss your newborn’s amazing capabilities and why skin on skin contact is essential for mom and baby in the magical hour after birth. Learn the secrets to a calm newborn, ways to manage your crying baby and simple strategies to prevent colic in an informative talk by Meg Faure. Sr Ann Richardson will take you through the first six weeks of #baby101 from umbilical cord care, nappy changes, feeding, sleeping, nappy rashes, sniffles and snuffles, cradle cap and more.

To further enhance bonding with your new bundle of joy, the Johnson’s Baby massage workshop will open the world of communication with your baby through touch and massage, with an interactive demonstration of some hands-on massage skills and tips.

Dates and venues for the Johnson’s Baby Sense Seminars are:

Durban 16 August Three Cities Riverside Hotel

Port Elizabeth 23 August The Marine Hotel

Johannesburg 6 September Woodmead Country Club

Cape Town 13 September The Vineyard Hotel

Cost per seminar is R240 and R80 for the massage workshop. If you book for both seminars and the massage workshop, a discounted rate of R480 will be applicable. Tickets include goodie bags of essential baby products, invaluable information in the seminar manuals and the chance of winning amazing prizes including a Stokke Scoot travel system.

Don’t miss out on these info-packed#baby101 seminars!

Book now online babysense.com/talks-and-workshops or call (021) 671 3245(021) 671 3245

facebook.com/babysense @BabySense #baby101

The post #baby101 at the Johnson’s Baby Sense Seminar appeared first on All4Baby.

The modern trend is to enrol your toddler at a nursery school from three or four years of age. She may have attended a playschool from an earlier age, or may have been happy and content at home with you until now.

While most playschools focus mostly on socializing and playing (for younger toddlers), nursery schools differ in that learning takes place in a more formal and structured way.

Many nursery schools have separate classes or sections for different age groups, so try to find one that will allow for your child’s progress without having to move her unnecessarily.

Follow your gut

Trust your instinct when looking for a school, and decide whether the school will suit you and your toddler’s needs with regards to accessibility, safety and hygiene and quality of teaching and care.

Transition tips

If your toddler has never been to playschool, starting nursery school may be the first time that she will be separating from you, so expect her to feel anxious and apprehensive. Try these few tips to ease the transition for both of you!

• Trust your instinct – if you don’t get a good ‘feel’ – don’t enroll your child if you have other options.
• Visit the school beforehand – take your toddler there a few times beforehand to familiarise her with the new surroundings.
• If possible, find a playmate who attends the same school beforehand – it always helps to see a familiar face.
• Teach your toddler some independence beforehand – let her get used to being separated from you for a few hours each day before “D” day.
• Let her walk, don’t carry her in – the wrench at crunch time will be difficult for both of you to handle.
• Distract her as you are arriving and walking in – say, “Wow! Look at that nice swing! Let’s go and try it out.”
• Don’t linger – be firm and encouraging. Tell her that she is safe and loved, then leave.
• Try not to be late in picking her up – it is not fair if all the other kids have gone home and your little one is wondering where you are.
• Be confident and positive – if you are, so will your toddler.
• Trust the teacher – once you are happy with your decision about your toddler’s school and her teacher, allow the teachers to take control whilst your child is in their care.

When to keep your toddler at home

If your child is still anxious, clingy and cries inconsolably when you leave her at nursery school and after two to three weeks is showing no signs of improvement, consider keeping her at home for a while and trying again later. In some cases, a change of school may be necessary. If the problem persists, consider a psychological assessment.

Extra-murial activities

You may be feeling pressurised to enrol your child in every extra-mural activity on offer. Stimulation in the form of gym, swimming, music, karate, ballet or modern dancing can be most beneficial for your child, but beware of over-scheduling your child.

Choose her extra mural activities with care, bearing in mind your child’s temperament and personality, as well as being aware of the hazards of over-stimulation.

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Sleep is vital for our physical and emotional well being. It is well known that it promotes the secretion of growth hormone as well as restoring brain processes. This enables us to perform subtle cognitive and social tasks as we go about our daily lives.

It may be surprising to note that the very same environmental, behavioural and social factors that may interfere with sleep, can play an important role in ensuring healthy sleep habits from the start.

In daily practice, when one is presented with an “unsettled infant”, or a “badly behaved toddler”, lack of sleep, or plain exhaustion is often not considered, as the practitioner is often too busy looking for a “physical reason” for the childs’ distress.

Physiological factors that affect sleep

There are obviously certain physiological factors to exclude from the outset, and a detailed history from the parent (or caregiver) is necessary. The obvious factors should include the following:

• Illness
• Nutrition
• Digestive disturbances
• Allergies
• Anaemia
• Parasitic infection (worms)
• Candida (thrush):oral/systemic/peri-anal
• Teething
• Nappy rash
• Emotional trauma

Once these factors have been excluded, the area of sensory overload should be investigated.

Sensory integration

The behaviour displayed by an infant or toddler upon exposure to sensory input will differ depending on the manner in which the stimulus is interpreted.

The sensory system functions in order to form a composite picture of what is going on around us. Sensory integration is the critical function of the brain that is responsible for producing this picture.

For most of us, effective sensory integration occurs automatically, unconsciously and without effort. However, for most infants, particularly premature babies, and toddlers with sensory integration difficulties, this process is inefficient due to immaturity of the sensory system. Therefore, babies and some toddlers will have difficulty in processing too much sensory stimuli.

Exposing a baby to sensory stimuli

When a child is exposed to sensory stimuli, a pattern usually occurs.

The child may interpret the stimuli as non stressful and respond to the stimuli appropriately. This response will not affect the stability of the behavioural subsystems of the nervous system.

© marchibas – Fotolia.com

Approach signals

The child will display self-regulation approach signals.These signals indicate that she is in control, and is neurologically well organized. Children displaying these signals appear to be inviting interaction.

These signals include:

• Soft and relaxed facial expression, with alert and open eyes
• Relaxed limbs with smooth body movements and minimal motor activity
• Turning towards sound and visual stimuli with interest
• A toddler will ask and respond to questions, smile and laugh

Warning signals

The child starts to experience stress when the exposure to the stimuli continues. The child will display some warning signals. At this stage she still has the ability to self-organise or self-regulate.

She is able to produce a behaviour to decrease the effect of the stress, thus preserving the stability of the behavioural subsystems of her nervous system.

© hartphotography – Fotolia.com

Warning signals that the child is becoming overloaded include:

• Hand(s) on face
• Fingers or hands in mouth or nose
• Fisting
• Bracing of legs or body
• Shifting to a drowsy state(infant); wanting to lie down(toddler)
• Fidgeting
• Decreased eye contact with you
• Sucking(infant); excessive mouthing(toddler)

This is the stage to allow the baby or toddler to go to sleep. All further stimulation should be avoided at this point. These signals must be interpreted as warning messages that the child may be reaching maximum tolerable stress levels. It is important to note that if the child is given some space to “zone out” she will be able to regulate her state of sensory overload herself to enable her to go to sleep unaided.

Stressed signals

If the exposure to the stress/stimuli continues, it will stress the child to such a degree that she becomes unable to overcome the effect of the stress by self-regulation(above). The compensating lower subsystem of the nervous system becomes unstable, resulting in a stress reaction such as crying and inability to fall asleep unaided. She will now need extensive help such as sucking on the breast or a bottle, being rocked or driven in a car in order to fall asleep. These stressed signals signal the end of the child’s ability to self regulate, and include:

© Barbara Helgason – Fotolia.com

• Loss of eye contact, or staring into space
• Irritability
• Moaning ,whining and crying
• Tantrums (toddler)
• Frantic, disorganized, jerky movements(infant); excessive fidgeting(toddler)
• Hands and fingers shielding the face
• Changes in vital signs such as heart rate and respiration
• Trunk arching
• Tongue thrusting(infant)
• Yawning, sneezing and hiccupping
• Gagging or spitting up
• Colour changes – paleness, mottling, flushing, cyanosis

These signs are very often misinterpreted as colic(infant), or boredom or bad behaviour(toddler). However, the sensory system at this stage is in such disorganization that it is unable to self-calm, and the child will end up crying inconsolably(infant), or having a tantrum(toddler). It is very important at this stage to:

• Modulate the environment for the child – remove stimulation
• Encourage and facilitate hand to mouth activity (sucking fingers, dummy)
• Encourage finger grasping
• Deep hug(toddler)
• Place your finger in the infants palm
• Swaddle the infant or place in a sling
• Allow the infant to “nest” in flexion

Children who are constantly over-stimulated and or deprived of “quiet time” will remain in this level of stress, and will thus never sleep.

To avoid children entering into this stressed, over-stimulated, over-tired state, it is crucial to avoid excessive stimulation, and to monitor how much time the child spends awake between sleep cycles. It is important that children are allowed to sleep before they reach this state of over-tiredness.

The post The sensory link to your baby’s sleeping disorders appeared first on All4Baby.

As your child’s nervous system matures with age, so does their capacity to cope with sensory stimulation in their ‘awake’ time.

Here is a guideline of approximate ‘awake’ times before ‘stress’ levels are reached:

0 – 6 weeks            :                40 – 60 minutes

6 – 12 weeks          :                60 – 80 minutes

3 – 6 months         :                1 ½ hours

6 – 9 months         :                2 hours

9 – 12 months       :                2 ½ hours

1 – 2 years              :                3 – 3 ½ hours

2 – 3 years              :                4 – 5 hours

3 – 5 years              :                5 – 7 hours

Parents of children that don’t sleep often think that by simply keeping them awake all day, will ensure they will sleep all night long. Nothing could be further from the truth. Sleep makes sleep – that is for sure!

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Keep your baby’s sensory environment the same each feeding time. Be cautious with any extra sensory input, like talking or touching.

She needs to keep all her attention on sucking, swallowing and breathing. Reciprocate your baby’s sensory signals. If she looks at you, return eye contact, but look away when she looks away to allow her ‘sensory space’ to focus on feeding.

From the moment you lift your baby into your arms and throughout the feed, each one of her senses will be stimulated.

Touch

Your touch as you place your baby into your arms and position her at your breast.

Hearing

Your baby’s sense of hearing will be stimulated by the sound of your voice and the rhythm of your heartbeat.

Sight

Sense of sight is stimulated as your baby focuses on your face and what is around her

Movement

As you lift your baby into the feeding position, her sense of movement is stimulated.

Smell

The smell of your milk and ‘mother space’ will stimulate your baby’s sense of smell.

Taste

Your baby’s sense of taste will be aroused depending on whether your milk is sweet or sour, hot or cold.

Interoception

The inner sensations of hunger, satiety and gas.

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