38 | April 2020 |motherandbaby.co.uk
ZEN BABY!‘Take
a short mindful
walk,’ suggests
Marneta. ‘Feel the warmth
ofyourbaby in his sling, or the
softnessof your toddler’s hand.
Lookup at the sky and be aware of
yoursurroundings.’ Talk to your tot
about what he can see, hear and
feel – can he see the trees blowing
in the wind? Can he feel
leaves squelching under
his feet?on clouds. Once your tot is toddling around,
you can also start encouraging him to be
aware of his own breathing – read on for
some fun games you can play together.
And, trust us, you’ll want to give them
a go – Marneta cites benefits including
improved sleep, better concentration and even
a deepening bond between mum and baby.
If this all sounds a little hippy-dippy to you
then hold on, because science has also started
weighing in on the very real value of such
exercises. ‘By creating a safe environment for
baby to relax, you’re stilling the “meerkat
brain”, the part called the amygdala that’s on
high alert for danger,’ says Marneta.
In fact, there’s powerful neurological
evidence that mindfulness really can rewire
the stress pathways in our brains so that,
when we’re put in a challenging situation,our
immediate reaction is not stress, but calm.
More magic still, it only takes a few weeks
to feel the effects.
THE FUTURE’S BRIGHT
While research into the effects of mindfulness
on babies and toddlers is in its infancy,
Marneta points out that it can only be a good
thing to begin this training while your baby’s
brain is developing. Indeed, key aspectsof
mindfulness practice like focus are controlled
by the prefrontal cortex. Connections inthis
area of the brain are created fastest during
childhood. Thus, mindfulness has beenlinked
to the childhood development of important
skills like patience and emotion regulation.
In fact, in 2017 researchers carriedouta
study of 44 mums and their babies asthey
undertook an eight-week course in mindful
parenting. Two months later, the mums
re ported a significant increase not onlyin
their levels of mindfulness, but in their
self-compassion, overall wellbeing, and
confidence in their parenting ability.Their
babies, meanwhile, were reported tohave
higher ‘positive affectivity’ (a scientific
catch-all for qualities including enthusiasm,
ener gy, confidence and alertness). The
re searchers hypothesised that this could
be the result of mindfulness creatingmore
empathetic, easy interactions betweenthe
mums and their little ones.
Nor do the benefits end when your
baby becomes a toddler. Korean
primary school children have been
found to be less aggressive and stressed
if they practice meditation, while a
2015 study found that 10- and 11-year-
olds who meditated had better working
memory and even higher scores inmaths
tests. So, start practicing mindfulnessnow,
and you’ll not only get more sleeptonight,but
also breathe easier about his future.
When
your baby is tiny,
your mindfulness
practice can be as simple as
this: dedicate three points in the
day to stare lovingly into his eyes.
Smile. You do this all the time already,
we know. But in doing so, you’re
modelling contentedness, focus and
being in the moment – the most
basic building blocks of
mindfulness. How
lovely is that?A funwayto
focusyourlittle one’s
attentiononhisbreathis to
ask him to lie down on his back
with his favourite teddy onhis
st omach. ‘Ask him to stay as stillashe
can, and watch teddy move upand
down as he breathes in and out,’says
Marneta. It encourages abdominal
breathing – a basic principle
of all mindfulness and
meditation practices.Tohelptotsfocusonand
regulatetheirbreathing,
Marneta suggests placing one hand
on your stomach and the other on
your child’s. Ask your little one to do the
same, then take a slow, deep breath
together and feel your tummies rising
and falling together. By breathing slowly
yourself, you’re encouraging him to
move away from the shallow, fast
breathing patterns that lead to
over-excitement and
stress.Here’sone
your toddler can
practice too: ‘Squeeze
your hands in a ball as tight
as you can. See how tiny you
can make them. Squeeze,
squeeze, squeeze and
relax,’ says
Marneta.During
the day,
toddlers can enjoy
playing a game of ‘sleepy
starfish’, suggests Marneta.
‘Lie down on the floor, and
imagine you are a sleepy
starfish. Stretch your arms
and legs as wide as you
can. Stretch and
relax.’Glad
to be Dan i s
a charming book
that helps children
identify difficult emotions
and, instead of ignoring them,
to use five different
mindfulness exercises to
work through them.
£8, CreateSpace.9
steps to baby
mindfulness