There are things you can do to support your child's brain development in the first 2 years of their life.
Brain development during pregnancy
How to help your child's brain development
Your child’s brain develops best when they are:
- healthy and well nourished
- in a healthy routine - for example feeding, sleeping, cuddles, reading together and bath time
- protected from stress or neglect
- with a caregiver who shows them love and attention
- playing and exploring safely
Your child's early experiences, relationships and environment affects their development.
Interact with your baby
Babies are born ready to communicate with you. They communicate through crying, facial expressions, gestures, babbling and laughing.
To support your child's brain development:
- make eye contact with them
- mirror their expressions or movements
- talk or make the same noises back to them
This will also build your relationship with them.
Doing the same movements and activities again and again helps your baby’s brain grow. For example, your baby might keep grasping your finger. This helps them build strong brain connections for movement and touch. It also helps them feel more connected to you.
Your baby's social, emotional and behavioural development
Talking and reading
Talk or read to your baby. Do this even when you know they cannot understand you yet.
This helps their brain grow, especially the parts that help with language.
Nutrition
Eating a wide variety of food is important for your child's brain.
Each nutrient plays a different role in healthy brain development.
Include child-size portions of healthy foods from each of these food groups every day:
- vegetables, salads and fruit
- wholemeal cereals and bread, potatoes, pasta and rice
- milk, yoghurt and cheese
- lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans and nuts
- healthy fats, spreads and oils
Physical activity
Physical activity is good for your child's development.
Start with tummy time.
Helping your baby or child to be active
Playing
Playing will help your child to develop and learn a range of skills.
It helps them know you love them and they're important. This can positively help their long-term mental health.
How your child learns and develops through play
Soothing and comfort
Respond to your baby when they're distressed.
This will help:
- calm them down
- reduce their stress levels
- build their resilience (their ability to bounce back from challenges and cope with them)
Soothing and calming your baby
Vaccines
Getting your child vaccinated protects them from illnesses that can:
- be life-threatening
- damage their growing brain
Looking after yourself
It's normal to feel overwhelmed sometimes. Many parents feel stress, anxiety, low mood or depression.
Feeling stressed does not make you a bad parent. Taking care of a baby is physically and emotionally tiring.
Ask for help when you need it. Your public health nurse or GP are there to support you.
