Give me time and space, please!

“Do less, observe more, enjoy most.” – Magda Gerber

For too long, you may have heard early childhood educators saying that they practice RIE philosophy in their infant room. Some centers, however have taken this philosophy and really implemented it in their day to day routine across the board. In my Nursery, we have taken aspects of Emmi Pikler and Magda Gerber's theories and applied it within the Nursery environment, daily routines and care moments.

RIE - Resources of Infant Educarers

I can write a whole new blog around this but for now all I want to say is that you are your child’s educarer – parents, whanau and caregivers who care for children. It basically means to have respect for our young children – especially our infants. Babies should be treated as capable learners and that they are able to understand the world around them, are able to learn and flourish within a safe space and are free from too much adult intervention.

The ultimate goal is to nurture the ‘authentic child’. This means that your little one should be able to experience a sense of security, feel competent, is autonomous and be able to connect to their environment.

So, back to the title – why give time and space? Because this is respectful practice. Little one’s cannot express themselves through verbal language. Therefore, they require adults to stand back and observe, to listen to their body language, to follow their cues, and to understand that they need time and space too.

Some ways that you can support a slow paced and respectful environment are through these guided approaches that combines values and beliefs of Magda Gerber and Emmi Pikler.  

SLOW DOWN

See how slowly you can move, as you pick up and carry your baby, change his nappy and dress him, or lay him down in his cot for a sleep. When you move slowly, your baby can follow what's happening, and be an integral part of the experience rather than a passenger just along for a too-hurried ride. Move slowly with your toddler too, as you bathe him, set his lunch on the table for him, or take a walk in the neighbourhood together. Sometimes, toddlers are unjustly accused of being unco-operative when it's simply that life is moving so quickly that they can't keep up, causing them to lose their emotional equilibrium.

COMMUNICATE: TALK ‘WITH’ NOT ‘TO’ THE BABY

"I'm going in the kitchen and will be right back" "I'd like to pick you up now so we can change your nappy." "Let's take off your onesie." When you tell your baby what you're going to do before you do it, he can prepare himself for what's going to happen next. He can relax, knowing there will be no surprises. You won't abruptly disappear from the room. He won't be startled by being picked up suddenly. He won't be surprised by the rush of cool air as his onesie is taken off.

INVOLVE THE BABY: NOTICE THE CUES

Use moments where you pause and wait for cues from the baby after you tell him what you are about to do. For example, ask a baby a question and pause for a moment to allow the baby time to respond. Notice the cues of response such as a smile, eye contact, arm and leg movements. Before you do anything, before you leave the room, pick up the child or take of his onesie, involve the baby so he knows what's going to happen next. Look and wait for a cue that he's ready. Since babies take longer to process verbal communication than adults do, when we proceed full steam ahead, it feels abrupt to them. 

SENSITIVE OBSERVATIONS

No one can give full attention to a baby or anyone else, 24 hours a day. But it is possible to turn off the phone and the computer or other distractions so that you can give full attention to your baby during caregiving times of feeding, changing nappy, dressing, and bathing. By giving full attention during these intimate activities, your baby can be emotionally refueled, and the message being conveyed is, "You're important to me. I care about you."

TRUST YOUR BABY

Never put babies in positions which they cannot get themselves into. For example, putting an infant in his tummy means that they feel stuck in that position. They are not allowed the freedom to move. They are forced to hold their head up which they haven’t yet developed the skills to do so. Tummy times are great if you allow the baby to lay on your chest. This allows ‘skin to skin’ moments, they are somewhat upright, and your body carefully holds the babies head. Give your baby plenty of time on their back. Allow them the freedom to master their own skills of movement in their own space and time. A baby who is restricted in a space or is propped up to sit before they are ready to do so themselves are not able to discover the full range of capabilities of their own body movements.

Children should be allowed plenty of time and space to develop their own physical capabilities to experiment and to overcome difficulties. A baby who is supported to sit, stand or walk before they are developmentally ready tend to develop less strongly in their posture and movements, and are more accident and injury prone.

 To end this blog, I will leave you with a beautiful poem written by Magda Gerber.

I hope you enjoyed reading this blog. As an advocate for our little people, it is so important for me to share these practices with whanau to help them understand that it is not the quantity, it's the quality!

• Disclaimer: This blog is inspired by my practices as an early childhood educator in a under 2's classroom. The ideas written in this blog is just one of the many aspects of practices parents/whanau can establish at home if needed. 
• Dr Emmi Pikler lived and found her life’s purpose, working with infants in her homeland of Hungary. Pikler, a pediatrician, took over the running of a home for children (Known as Loczy) in Budapest in 1946. She mentored various educators and carers, including Magda Gerber who took Pikler’s philosophy to the USA and introduced it there.
• The image shown in this blog is a google image.