Facts About Child Development Parents Should Know


Facts About Child Development Parents Should Know

No one knows everything about Child Development and Parenting when they become parents and that’s okay. What’s important is that parents invest the effort to learn about Child development and alter their nurturing accordingly. Several basic aspects of development are known, but numerous scientific facts that majorly influence the child’s biology, psychology, and sociology sometimes hide themselves in books designed for Medical Professionals and Child and Youth Care Workers.

For instance, growth and development follows a cephalocaudal pattern, which means that growth starts from head to toe. This information is essential to understand why the baby’s face might appear larger in comparison to the rest of the body. It also sheds light on the fact that the brain develops early on, and babies begin absorbing information before even being born. The body also develops at the center first towards outside, this is called proximal- distal development. This explains gaining control of spine before hands and fingers.

Another mind-blowing fact that parents might be oblivious to is about the 100 billion neurons that babies are born with. In the first decade of life, children's brain form trillions of connections. What happens is that the brain being an adaptable structure, consistently learns from the environment. It prunes or gets rid of any neural connections it deems futile. This information is key for parents, as it implies that if they expose their children to different languages in the duration of this critical period, their children could easily pick up on them. If they expose their children to certain types of activities, their brain might decide to keep that connection leading them to end up developing skills they didn’t imagine their child could have. Long story short, the infant brain is capable of more than an adult’s capacity to comprehend, but their brain would only sustain this ability if it were exposed to the right stimulus (Alberta Health Services, 2023).

Additionally, within 8 weeks of conception the basic brain structure of the baby is ready. So, the environment impacts the baby’s brain even when it’s inside the womb. By 6 years of age, 90% of the child’s brain is already developed. Awareness in this regard is key in shaping one’s parenting patterns with the understanding of its predominant significance during these critical years (birth till 6) (Alberta Health Services, 2023).

Lastly, it is absolutely essential to communicate to parents the importance of their attachment style and relationship with their child. Being responsive to the child’s needs is indispensable to the development of their self-esteem and independent decision making. Their confidence in your ability and willingness to support them reassures them about themselves and is crucial in the development of resiliency and problem-solving skills (Harvard University, n.d.).

In a nutshell, support them in exploring new things during their childhood. Support them.

-Maithili

 

 

Alberta Health Services. (2023). Factors that affect Child Development. Retrieved from Healthy Parents, Healthy Children: https://www.healthyparentshealthychildren.ca/im-a-parent/overview-of-parenting/factors-that-affect-child-development/#the-care-you-provide

Harvard University. (n.d.). 8 Things to Remember about Child Development. Retrieved from Developingchild: https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/8-things-remember-child-development/

 

 

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