Tots & Babies

To Have and To Hold - THE IMPORTANCE OF
PARENT-CHILD INTERACTION

By Linda J.Sullivan

Today, children as young as 2 years old are being diagnosed with mental health conditions including depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, as well as other stress related conditions never before associated with young children. Although there are many factors to consider, an explosion of research over the past few decades in neurobiology clearly demonstrates how the interrelationship between genetics and early experience literally shapes the brain and is the key to overall health and wellness later in life.

Conflicting Information

In days of old, parenting information was passed down from generation to generation. The popular belief was that child-rearing practices should focus on developing discipline early on. Ideas that a child would become "spoiled" if held too much or from being picked up whenever they cried prevailed. Then came the long list of parenting books that took up entire sections of bookstores every where.

You may remember Dr. Benjamin Spock who promoted the revolutionary message to mothers: "You know more than you think you do". This message encouraged several generations of parents to be more flexible and affectionate with their children and to honor their natural instincts. Unfortunately, this message became overshadowed as the "experts" informed parents that infants needed firm schedules for sleeping and feeding, and practices such as propping bottles, which resulted in less time spent holding babies.

The Latest Research

Current research findings have shown the strong impact an infant's early environment and relationship with parents has on the developing brain. During infancy, brain development peaks as positive sensory experiences fire signals to the brain. The connections made as a result, happen as babies bond with parents and thrive on the pleasant sensations of touch, smell, sounds and sights. This new evidence clearly demonstrates that these early relationships actually shape the brain and tell it to grow, which lays the foundation for later developmental outcomes, including school performance, mental health and interpersonal skills.

What Goes Wrong

The latest research makes it clear that in order for the brain to develop appropriately, infants need to be held – to feel the warmth of a mother's arms, hear the comforting sounds of parents' voices singing and talking to them, and to see the smiling faces of those who care for them. Without these consistent nurturing responses, connections are pruned back and brain growth is significantly limited, resulting in smaller brains.

Recent studies have focused on factors such as environmental toxins, including cortisol levels which are caused by stress, and how these elements affect overall infant development. These studies show that infants exposed to chronic stress are at a higher risk for a long list of physical and mental health conditions later in life. So how do we protect our infants from the damaging effects of stress? First of all, we must keep in mind that some stress is beneficial for growth and learning. It isn't practical to think that we can or should protect our children from all forms of stress. It is chronic stress that sends excess amounts of adrenaline and cortisol shooting through a young child's body, that we should be concerned about.

What Parents Can Do

The latest findings are now causing "the experts" in the area of infant development to rethink previous beliefs regarding the impact of early life experiences. It is clear that Dr. Spock and the many other experts who have written so much regarding the importance of attachment and bonding knew what they were talking about! As Dr. Spock so wisely advised, parents know more than they think they do! Nature has equipped humans as well as most species, with parenting instincts that involve the desire to hold and cuddle our babies. Our instincts tell us to feed our babies when they are hungry, and to appropriately respond to their cries. Our babies know instinctively as well, that they need to be held and nurtured for growth, so if we forget they remind us!

Now for Reality

So how does this information affect parenting in our busy world where parents often feel they do not have the luxury of staying home to hold and nurture their infants? Are parents the only ones who can provide the nurturing found to be critical for healthy development or can these needs be met by other caregivers? Researchers continue to explore these questions and to date the evidence is not yet clear. Much, of course, depends on the quality of the surrogate care. For example, if parents opt for a daycare setting, questions involving ratios of infants to adults, time spent holding and nurturing infants, and continuity of adults caring for the infant will certainly be important considerations.

Hopefully this research will help educate our society on the importance of parent/child attachment in the early years. This is especially imperative for employers who might now give serious consideration to the importance of flexible hours and opportunities to job share for parents of young children.
The future of our children really does depend on it!

This article originally appeared in the July 2010 issue of Genesee Valley Parent Magaine. Copyright 2010.

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