Why So Much Fuss About "Diaper Babies"?

Do you want your infant to grow up to be smart and to be able to respond to adversity should it arise? Including violence?

If so, you'll want to teach them about problem-solving and positive communication from the beginning of life. These are skills that can begin in infancy and develop throughout one's lifespan.

The same problem-solving skills used in social situations can be applied to other life problems, such as learning to read or passing a course one doesn't really enjoy.

In Ghosts From The Nursery (1997, p. 146), Karr-Morse and Wiley suggest focusing on the period from 10 to 18 months to prevent violence, since that's when foundational connections form between the prefrontal cortex and the limbic system.

During this time, the child's brain learns to modulate stress. The connections that form lay the groundwork for all future learning. Nothing could be more critical. This chart from Harvard shows how important the earliest months really are.

It would be wonderful if there were a clear picture of what to actually do with infants and toddlers during their first few years of life. It may be one of those secrets hiding in plain sight, but there actually is. The picture is taking shape through dedicated research and advances in brain science at universities like Harvard, Northwestern University IL, and UC Irvine.

That information looks very different from some of our long-held societal beliefs, especially when it comes to child care and education during the earliest years.

That's why Early Childhood Rocks, a non-profit organization, has used research, along with 50 years of practical early care and education experience, to develop an easy-to-read blueprint designed for parents, teachers, nannies, grandparents, and other caregivers to give the children they care for the advantages they'll need to make their way in a world that isn't always pleasant.

Because we think this guide will be both useful and practical, we want to get it out to the public as quickly as possible. Our mission at ecrocks.org is to close the gap between what science knows about early care and education and the experiences our children are actually receiving.

We would love to have you join our community of like-minded people dedicated to high-quality early care and education. When you do, we'll send you the Birth-3 Brilliance blueprint, which contains another helpful guide called Magic Words, plus one helpful tip each week. You can start using both guides right away.

Just in case you're hesitant to give your email address to an organization you don't yet trust, let us earn that trust by offering you a challenge. For the next few days only, find the little black star on our homepage, and you can view the entire Birth-3 Brilliance Blueprint without even signing up.

Once you see how easy and fun it is, go ahead and share it as much as you like and sign up too. Any donations we receive as a result of that sharing will go directly to the upkeep of this page.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Nanci J Bradley is an early childhood and family educator, author, teacher, family aerobics instructor, and an all-around fun-loving person. She believes in the power of sleep, healthy eating, lifelong learning, and most of all, PLAY!  (click on the word) She studied early childhood ed at Triton College and received her BS in education in 1986 from NIU. She received her MA in human development from Pacific Oaks College in 2011. She lives and teaches in Madison WI.

Early Childhood Rocks is a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the world through early childhood education. We have a PLAN.

Citations

“Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University.” Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, 4 Dec. 2017, https://developingchild.harvard.edu/.

Karr-Morse, Robin, et al. Ghosts from the Nursery: Tracing the Roots of Violence. The Atlantic Monthly Press, 2013.