Childrens Development-Why It Should Be Seen As A Holistic Process

When parents have their first baby they are venturing into unknown territory when it comes to caring for their own child.  Sure there may have been siblings which they helped care for, or kids that they baby sat for, but nothing prepares parents for the overwhelming task of being 100% responsible for another human being.

Parents want to do their very best to make sure that their newborn is nurtured and as they go through the various stages of their young life will be given every opportunity to grow as a well rounded, happy young person.  They hope that how they approach this beautiful baby's development will pave the way for the world to be their oyster when they are older and starting to make their mark on the world.

Natural instinct goes a long way to help parents cope well with their child's development, yet in today's world they are also bombarded by media messages and stress which can add extra pressure to their job.  Driven by the best of intentions some parents start to compartmentalise aspects of the child's development, such as nutrition, emotions, spiritual values and so on.

Let's compare a baby to a newborn puppy, of course appreciating that there are many significant differences.  If we feed the puppy, the puppy will be nourished and will grow into a healthy young dog.  But let's say that the family was not well prepared for the responsibilities of a puppy, so soon into owning it they feel impatient with toilet training, chewing of shoes and stuff and then the routine of having to walk the puppy. So this family maintain the puppy by feeding it but they lose interest and the puppy at the same time starts to lose the possibility of being as well rounded a faithful family dog as he could have been.  Holistically all types of nurturing overlap and if one or more are lacking the other one dims in importance and the puppy is less of what they could potentially be. 

The same applies to a baby or child.  They do not separate at a young age the fact that they have a very well balanced diet from the fact that one of their parents does not show them nurturing attention.  The baby or child's world is so small at that stage that this can have a huge impact.  This is why the holistic approach to child development is the way to go.

So you are almost all of your young child's world up to a certain stage of their development.  Imagine how you have a great opportunity to influence the holistic development of your child.

Your child is like a sponge ready to absorb information, to learn how to behave and your child needs and wants stimuli.  Each child is individual so even if he or she is your second or third child the process may need to be quite different to before.  He or she has her own potential and personality.

One of the biggest favours you can do your child is not to put your expectations on them.  This can be difficult to do as we all have our own childhood experiences and conditioning of our life experiences but if you practice it gradually it will start to become more of a natural reaction.

Let's take the example of the father who is excited to see his young boy start playing football, but instead the young boy wishes to go to drama classes.  This was not in the father's plan so it is a struggle to support it.  But if the father manages to give 100% freedom to his son to be who he is meant to be, who knows his son could turn out to be the next Brad Pitt.  Even if he doesn't it is not important what is though is the fact that he was allowed to experience the freedom to be himself.

This approach should encompass all aspects as a one, and what helps even more is that the parents can release themselves from being too grown up sometimes and connect with the playful imagination of their child.  Actually apart from being good for the child it can be quite therapeutic for some parents. 

The first 8 years of your child's life will lay the most important foundations for the remainder of his or her life.

Pre natal and birth – The attention is focused on the mother through maternal and child health care.

Infancy up to 18 months – The primary focus now if on nutrition and health, which ideally will include breast feeding if possible.  The infant should spend as much time as possible with the primary caregiver, ideally the mother.  The infant should be learning visual and auditory skills as well as some ability to control their physical actions.

Toddler to post toddler (18 months to 36 months)- The child will be learning social skills quickly, co-ordination, as well as developing the ability to think and language skills. Nutrition continues to be of central importance.

Pre-school (3 to 5-maybe 6 yrs) - Socialisation is now highly important and the child is preparing to begin school.  Nowadays of course many children may be in creches or pre schools.  Nutrition continues to be central to their development.

Early primary school (5/6 to 8 yrs)– This is a big transition period going out into the world at large and school. For some children this can be a very difficult period or for others it is pretty easy.  Either way ongoing holistic attention will do the job.