Thread by @DrRajathAthreya

#ChildHealthMatters
Early Childhood Development (ECD) = critical period with consequences for lifetime. A thread:

The brain grows and develops in complexity at a phenomenal rate in first 2-3 years: forming new connections at an astounding rate of >1million per second!

The baby's brain comes with a blue print: genes, but needs critical components to achieve its potential: 1. Nutrition 2. Protection 3. Stimulation The first #1000Days and a bit beyond are crucial for Nature and Nurture to play their role

1. Nutrition: Mother's breast milk (and her nourishment) and wholesome age appropriate complementary food from 6 months is crucial

2. Protective Environment: Conflict zones, exposure to societal violence, negative influences such as neglect, verbal and physical abuse set off biological processes that hamper brain development in early childhood
time.com/4153941/childr…

3. Stimulation: Crucial aspect that has changed MOST in the last decade + for the worse
'Every time a parent speaks to a child- it sparks something in the child, it forms brain connections'
Pressing need to have young ones play and communicate with parents and not a 'screen'

less #ScreenTime is more, for an infant even less is deleterious. It breaks my heart to see parents/g-parents take refuge/pleasure, treat #handheld as friend/parent, bribe etc
Brain development is both experience-expectant & experience dependent process: screens mess it up .

#ScreenTime Recommendations (@AmerAcadPeds)
<18 months = Nil ( except for video calls!)
18 months to 2yrs = high quality, if choosing to, co watch and help understand what they are seeing
2-5 years = 1 hour, high quality, co-watch, understand to apply to world around them

In summary: "When you pay attention to the beginning of the story, you can change the whole story"
First #1000Days (Pregnancy-2 years) is the most critical (things amiss = lasting effects) and sensitive (things amiss = lost opportunity) period
Eat, Play & Love seems to work well!

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