Live webchat with Professor Robert Winston, all about baby and child development, Wednesday 19 December, 1pm

[AlexMumsnet]

We're very happy that Professor Robert Winston will be joining us on Wednesday afternoon at 1pm for a live webchat!

Professor Winston is one of the founders of IVF and presenter of a number of BBC documentaries including 'Child of our time', Super Human and the award winning 'Human Body'. Professor Robert Winston will be talking to us about brain development and how you can help your baby in their first few years.

His latest venture is advising and presenting 'The Essential Baby Care Guide'. This set of four DVDs features leading experts research including that from the Royal College of Paediatrics, UNICEF UK, St Johns Ambulance, The National Literacy Trust, the Meningitis Research Foundation and the Child Accident Prevention Trust.

The complete guide costs just £35, whilst individual DVDs are £10 each (inc. P&P) . Mumsnetters are able to get a £10 discount on the Complete Guide by entering the code MUMSNET when purchasing online before 31st December 2012. See: www.essentialparent.com

Join Robert on Wednesday at 1pm or, as always, please post your advanced questions on this thread.

Re yr 13.56 post - When you say stress in early pregnancy do you mean stress on the baby (eg IUGR) or mother's emotional stress?

@VenetiaLanyon

Hello Lord Winston,

I would love to ask so many questions of you, but here are just 2:

1. Does it tend to follow that talking, reading and writing earlier than your peers is a sign of greater intelligence later in life, or do children just develop at different speeds?

1. To what degree are diet and exercise implicated in neural development, and do vitamin supplements have any role to play?

Thanks very much

There is not a strong correlation though it is certainly some children who read early are gifted; others who appear to be total dunces may be gifted too, though. The relationship with talking and physical development is even less well established. I had one child who talked late and one who talked early and one who said nothing until two, when that child started talking in complete sentences. None of them showed that there was any correlation with later aptitude.

You haven't answered as to the whereabouts of the Child Of Our Time series. my daughter is about the same age and I always found it fascinating.

Is it due for a comeback now they are about to be 13?

whatkaty I assumed it was a response to my question about mothers stress.

I'm afraid Prof Winston has had to leave us now, however he did prepare some answers in advance and these are going to be posted up now. Apologies for the confusion with some posts - we'll try and match up those that don't relate to a specific question now. Thanks to all those who joined the discussion today.

@DeGlitterBug

What is your view of controlled crying?

I can't make it tomorrow, so if my Q gets picked, then as a follow-up:

What developmental benefits (if any) do babies get from breastfeeding?

I am not sure what you mean by controlled crying but there is evidence that babies left to cry experience stress and have raised cortisol levels even after their crying ceases.
Breastfeeding provides a good balance of fats that are important for brain development. There are emotional benefits to the close act of breastfeeding a baby and it is possible to feed your baby with a bottle in a similar way, eye contact, skin to skin contact, parent feeding etc.

Ah thanks OodKing - yes, I can see that now.

@Hopskipandjump

I would be very interested in Professor Winston's view on social skills development in children. My ds is an only child and has grown up in quite an adult world pre- going to school - I know that his social skills are behind his intellectual development. Generally, do social skills catch up once at school? Is there anything the professor would advise?

We are social animals and social skills are an important part of development. It's very important that children get to spend time with other children as they learn to cope with frustration, sharing, making friends and of course having fun with peers. School helps with all these social skills but playing with cousins, children on your street and parties all helps.

it was my first one! Very interesting.

@Twinklylightsandbells

I would be interested in the Professor's view on "daydreaming" and "concentration" in small children and how these things are impacted by development

I think daydreaming and concentrating are both important parts of being a child and an adult. Different children will concentrate and daydream in different situations, some children will spend a long time concentrating on a jigsaw but might not concentrate on a physical task.

Learning to concentrate and having the freedom to daydream are both important to development and children generally get the opportunity for both.

@BoffinMum

Can you teach a child happiness? In other words, if you continually model what it means to be happy, and encourage them to laugh, will their brain wire itself in favour of an optimistic outlook to life as they grow up?

Hello BoffinMum. Children who develop a strong and loving attachment with a warm, patient and consistent parent are more likely to be happy and resilient. Early nurture and bonding have profound and longterm effects on a child?s happiness and optimism.

@Goodkingwalkingslass

Hello Lord Winston!

Do you think that the current guidelines to wean babies after 6 months are correct? And do you think baby led weaning and giving finger foods impacts development and eating habits later on in life?

Thanks in advance

From what I remember on our Essential Baby Care Guide DVDs, the current Department of Health guidelines were to wean babies 'around 6 months.' I think food and eating is an important and joyful part of life and babies should be encouraged to eat with their family (where they can model trying new things), try lots of different foods but not be put under pressure to eat (I was forced to eat cheese and hate it to this day!)

What an interesting webchat, I enjoyed that very much. Thank you Mumsnet HQ and Lord Winston. T'was excellent!

@Lollydaydream

Do you think parents are supported enough to in turn support their child's development now that Health visitor support seems scarce and early years provision such as Sure Start is reduced. How can we persuade government to take early years support seriously and not just pay lip service to its value.

I agree that supporting children and their parents in those first few years is a vital moral duty that we have as a nation. One of the reasons I support and endorse the Essential Baby Care Guides is that they have been designed to help new and expectant parents to love, nurture and care for their babies.

We've been thrilled by the response from the expert organisations we've worked with, as well as the children's centres, the Dept Health and healthcare professionals. There is a strong will to try and support parents and babies in the community.
However, it is frustrating that as a rich nation we still see so much need for support of babies and their parents in our society.

@BedHog

If you could pick three cheap or free activities to do with a young child which would be most beneficial to their brain development in a variety of ways, what would those three activities be? Why?

Thankyou!

Talk to them. Show them new things. Listen to their responses. Great question. RW

@Emandlu

You haven't answered as to the whereabouts of the Child Of Our Time series. my daughter is about the same age and I always found it fascinating.

Is it due for a comeback now they are about to be 13?

Watch this space! RW

@dietstartstmoz

Hello Robert, I have always loved the programmes and articles you have done and my husband I particularly enjoyed 'Child of our Time'. We have a 5 year old son with a diagnosis of high functioning autism. He is in mainstream school and is making very good progress but obviously still has developmental delay and we fully expect him to always have issues. He has speech therapy activities daily at school and academically is coping well. Like many parents of a SN child we are always looking for 'answers' and also strategies for helping him with his brain development. Many things we have looked into are so expensive and our paediatrician is very dismissive of many 'interventions' e.g. different dietary programme etc. There is such little professional support and advice out there on SN, brain development and Autism. I would be interested to know your opinions on the use of intervention programmes for brain development and learning skills past the age of 5 and where parents can start to find sources of support. Also, do you have any plans to do any research in the area of SN in the future, with regards to development and brain development? Thanks

I think as a parent of a special needs child you are right to be open to new interventions. I am sure there is a big range from the frankly hokey to the good evidence based intervention. Sometimes support groups can offer very good up to date advice for parents in a way that a GP could never do. Good nutrition is always a good idea and factors like Vitamin D levels will probably be reassessed and the guidelines will change.
I don't have expertise in the area of intervention on learning skills in children over the age of 5 I'm afraid. Again, I would go to the support groups as a first point of call.

@halfthesize

Hi Professor Winston,

I was wondering what your views were on a toddler(age3) who from birth has had issues with
1: sleep(did not sleep through till 18 months and still up at least once a week)
2: eating (will not eat anything hot or veg or meat) He is a healthy weight but I am worried it will affect his development.
3: he finds pronouncing his 's' and 'f' a problem.

Love Chlid of our time hoping for another series.

Your 3 year old doesn't sound very different from lots of his peers. The s and f sounds can come quite late (if you are worried you can contact the charity I CAN). Sleeping and eating are often areas of stress for parents at this stage. Try not to make eating a battleground but offer lots of choice and encourage eating with friends and family as children often try things in a social setting that they would not when being scrutinised by an anxious parent. As for the sleep, we have a great sleep expert called Mandy Gurney on our DVDs and she has a whole DVD dedicated to the science of sleep with lots of top tips on how to use your babies sleep hormones and daylight to improve night time sleep.

@rhetorician

Hello Lord Winston: like others, I am a great admirer of your work. I wonder what you think about the impact of so-called 'helicopter' parenting is on children?

If by helicopter parenting you mean watching over them constantly, I think this is a mistake. Children need to be kept safe but micromanaging their every utterance, interaction and decision is not a good idea. Within a safe environment children need to be thwarted by peers, climb trees and learn to negotiate and get on with their friends.

@LineRunner

Do you have any strong views on 'Attachment Disorder'? It still seems a popular theory with many social workers. Just wondering.

I think that a good, happy, consistent and loving bond with your parents is the foundation of good mental health. That's not to say that some children cannot overcome a difficult start, with the right help and support.

@MrsJREwing

Will there be more Child of our time programmes?

I still think of the religious girl who lost her Mum.

There will be - but not sure when - watch this space.

Thank you so much for your help and advice Professor Winston.

@dippyegg

Are some parenting styles better for your baby's brain development than others?

Dear dippyegg. As long as the baby is experiencing love, warmth, plenty of skin to skin contact, & common sense when it comes to the basic care issues such as feeding and sleep, then you will be doing the best you can as a parent. Remember to talk a lot to your baby, and give them time to gurgle a response.

@ReallyTired

Is intelligence fixed by genetics or mallible. How much difference does parenting/ effort by the child actually make to academic achievement. Can you tell if a small child is gifted/ has learning difficulties accurately?

Both are important. Parenting is extremely important in academic achievement.

Great webchat - lovely of Prof Winston to answer so many questions. Thanks!