Changing nappy time! Sainsbury's & Kindred²
Our brains grow at their fastest rate in the first two years of life, laying down the foundations of our future development and the people we become.
Did you know that singing nursery rhymes to a baby or young child while changing their nappy helps develop their brain? Talking to them, making faces and making eye contact can all help little brains grow.
We’ve partnered with Sainsbury's to re-design its Little Ones nappies and pants range, with a focus on popular nursery rhymes and activities to engage babies during nappy time.
Talk to your baby
Your baby loves looking at your face and making eye contact with you. Nappy changing is the perfect time to create a calm moment with your newborn or young child, helping them to feel safe and secure.
Why not sing a nursery rhyme or play a game while changing your baby? It’ll give you both something to enjoy and help entertain and soothe them when they try to explore off the mat.
Nursery rhymes introduce babies and children to the sounds and rhythms of storytelling, promoting social skills and boosting language development.
As well as being easy-to-learn and simple, nursery rhymes and activities play a vital role in the cognitive development of a child's early years. They also lay the foundation for learning to read and spell.
Developing language
Babies are constantly communicating with their caregivers before they learn how to use language. They love making new sounds like squeals and laughs.
We used to think phonetics were the cornerstone of early language learning, with babies combining phonetic elements to form words.
Research from the University of Cambridge and Trinity College Dublin has revealed that babies don’t really process phonetic information until they are 7-11 months old. The rhythmic information that we get from singing and talking is really key to language learning in these earliest months.
“Parents should talk and sing to their babies as much as possible or use infant directed speech like nursery rhymes because it will make a difference to language outcome,” said research lead Professor Usha Goswami.
Improving memory
The simple melodic nature of nursery rhymes helps babies recognise them long before they can understand meaning.
In their first few months, babies cry, gurgle, babble and vocalise sounds based on speech melody. This is called ‘prosody’. Repetition in nursery rhymes also helps babies work out patterns, structure segments and develop recall.
Boosting motor skills
Nappy changing can be a frustrating time for wriggly babies. A fun routine creates a positive experience and can even be used to hone vital motor skills.
Simple actions - like touching their toes or gently moving arms in rhythm - can help them learn and practice movements they will soon be doing by themselves.
For example,
Hickory dickory dock.
The mouse ran up the clock.
(Gently scurry your hands up baby's hands to their chin)
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down,
(Show "1" with your finger and scurry your hand gently down to their tummy!)
Hickory dickory dock!
Don't worry - sing to your baby!
Babies can see and hear from birth - and many babies remember songs they heard repeatedly while still in the womb.
Music plays a significant role in the development of a child's brain, meaning that engaging your child in singing activities can benefit their growth.
Most of a baby's brain is developed before they start speaking, so every interaction you have with them matters.
Sing to your baby whenever you can…making routines fun. And the good news is, it doesn’t even matter if you don’t rate your singing voice – your baby will love hearing and watching you anyway!
Building emotional awareness
Emotional development starts long before children can tell us how they are really feeling. Nursery rhymes can help introduce emotions and feelings while language is still developing.
Nursery rhymes are typically in a major key, with melodic and thematic high and low points - they can help soothe as well as excite babies. This is ideal during nappy changing time!
Strengthening bonds
Singing to and engaging with your baby captures their complete attention while you are changing their nappy. Eye contact and physical closeness strengthens your emotional connection and increases the production of oxytocin in the brain.
This is known as the 'love hormone' and has a positive impact on trust, affection, relaxation and overall psychological stability in later life.
Enriching the brain
When you sing to your baby, important hormones are released in the brain, resulting in a decreased heart rate, blood pressure and stress hormones. Singing also stimulates their neural connections, helping babies to gain a sense of awareness of their own bodies.
Kindred² works in collaboration with many leading organisations in the early years field. Two of our partners are expert in providing resources to parents seeking further information, which you may find helpful:
LEYF (London Early Years Foundation) runs 40 nurseries across 12 London boroughs, working together with families and communities to give London’s children – especially those most in need – the best start in life, by providing access to high quality, affordable Early Years education and care.
Peeple is a charity, whose main purpose is to support parents/carers, babies and children to learn together and improve children's outcomes. Peeple has developed an evidence-based Peep Learning Together Programme - here they have outlined a few ideas to make nappy time fun whilst supporrting your child's learning and development.