Feed babies’ brains and they will be nourished for life

A host of scientific research shows the earliest years are critical in shaping cognitive, emotional and social trajectory.

Research reported in The Times revealed that premature babies who heard their mothers reading a Paddington Bear story developed stronger connections in a brain region linked to language than those who did not. The findings suggest exposure to speech may nurture early brain development.

It’s an echo of the discovery more than 50 years ago by the philosopher turned physician Peter Huttenlocher while examining brain tissue under a microscope. In children under three, there was an explosion of neural connectivity. Typically five to ten million new synaptic connections were formed every second. By age three, this equates to about one million billion synapses.

Huttenlocher also observed that over time, after age three, this network shrinks by 50–70 per cent, depending on which links are reinforced through experience. His conclusion: children retain and strengthen the neural connections most relevant to their environment while discarding the less essential.

Decades earlier John Bowlby and later Mary Ainsworth were developing attachment theory: that early relationships form distinct attachment styles — secure, avoidant, anxious-ambivalent — that shape how individuals respond to stress and relationships throughout life.

These insights paint a compelling picture: the earliest years are critical in shaping cognitive, emotional and social trajectory. Longitudinal studies confirm that positive early interactions are strongly linked to higher educational attainment, better health, reduced criminal behaviour and more engaged citizenship.

These formative years have been championed by the Princess of Wales’s Centre for Early Childhood. She was right to say warm, loving relationships are the single greatest investment we can make in securing our children’s health, happiness and longevity. Families need specialist personalised support to give young children the best start in life.

One such initiative is Babyzone, which transforms everyday venues into brain-building spaces for babies and toddlers. Babyzone offers free sessions that support parents, build confidence of caregivers and ensure all children benefit from rich, nurturing interactions.

Simple, positive experiences like talking, singing, playing and cuddling are the foundation of brain development. They shape the circuits responsible for empathy, resilience, learning and mental health that will help children handle today’s growing wave of youth anxiety.

Far more must be done for our youngest citizens. It is not a phase to survive — it is the priority stage to invest in.

Charles Mindenhall is chair and co-founder of Babyzone

Learn more

💬  Read the original Times report for the story behind the science, and how small moments of care shape a child’s future.

📖  Read the Frontier study to see how a mother’s voice can help build the brain’s earliest language pathways.