Article written by Dr Hami Lawton - The Design of Grounding
1.Our children’s wellbeing.
Environments that calm and nurture babies and young children begin with the elements we put into them; low stimuli muted colours inspired by the natural world, organic materials, simple designs and patterns drawn from nature, soft but imaginative visual forms, gentle sounds, low lighting and tactile input, are elements that are vital to our children’s physical and emotional health and wellbeing. These design elements create spatial environments that deeply impact the state of our children’s nervous system helping them lower their cortisol levels, improve their emotional wellbeing by reducing stress and anxiety levels, and reduce their stress responses which are often triggered by the experience of overwhelming external stimuli. By creating a calming and nurturing home environment, parents not only lay the foundation for their children’s physical and psychological wellbeing, but also support their sense of self, foster their creativity and imagination, and nurture their child’s emotional wellbeing and resilience.
2. The state of our children’s nervous system.
A child’s home is their first, and perhaps most influential and formative environment. The environments in which our babies and children live, learn and dwell in, have a direct influence on their mood, behaviour, health and wellbeing, shaping not only their emotional and cognitive development, but also their sense of self and their unique sensitivities. By creating a calming and nurturing home environment, parents can lay the foundation for their children’s physical and psychological wellbeing, their sense of self and feelings of safety, and their experience of being and belonging in this world.
Environments that calm and nurture babies and young children begin with the elements we put into them; low stimuli muted colours inspired by the natural world, organic materials, simple designs and patterns drawn from nature, soft but imaginative visual forms, gentle sounds, low lighting and tactile input, are elements that are vital to our children’s physical and emotional health and wellbeing.
These design elements create spatial environments that deeply impact the state of our children’s nervous system helping them lower their cortisol levels, improve their emotional wellbeing by reducing stress and anxiety, reduce their stress responses (nervous system workload, blood pressure, muscle tension and heart rate), and increase their parasympathetic responses of wellbeing, which has a significant impact on the trajectories of our children’s future health. Therefore, one of the greatest gifts, we as parents can give our children, is the creation of a calming and nurturing environment to live and dwell in.
3. Sensing the environment.
Babies, like adults, can be very sensitive to their surroundings. “Babies are very sensitive to their surroundings and can easily become overwhelmed by too much stimulation. Too much noise, light, or activity can be disruptive and stressful for your baby. That’s why it’s important to create a space that is calm and serene. When their environment is chaotic, it can be difficult for them or understand what is happening around them.”1
Child Developmental Psychologist, Dr. Thomas Boyce, explains the impact of the environment on babies and young children. “We now know that during these early critical periods of great susceptibility to environmental influence, that children are enormously affected and set on developmental trajectories by their early experiences.”2 And these development trajectories begin in the womb. “We have belief for a variety of reasons that are grounded in solid science now that children even in the womb — in prenatal life — are sensing things about the environment which they’re going to be born in, and are adjusting — moving up and down — their responsivity to various characteristics of the environment based on that anticipation.”3
4. Reduce their stress load.
“In the first five years of life, children’s brains develop more and faster than at any other time in their lives. Your child’s early experiences — the things your child sees, hears, touches, smells and tastes — stimulate your child’s brain, creating millions of connections.”4 This means that at certain times children need to dwell in stimulating environments with increased and varied activity and sensory input in order to meet their sensory needs. But, babies and young children also need quiet time in calm and low-sensory environments to feel secure and to help regulate their nervous system and stress responses.
Overstimulation can easily occur in environments for babies and young children who are deeply impacted and influenced by the physical environments around them. When our brains sense something stressful, our nerves send our whole system into overdrive triggering a flood of hormones into our bloodstream including cortisol and adrenaline. Breathing speeds up, heart rate increases, and we can feel completely overwhelmed. When our stress doesn’t go away cortisol keeps on flowing and our flight, fight or freeze circuit can’t fully shut down. Overtime we get burnt out and fatigued which can lead to high blood pressure, a weakened immune system and elevated blood sugar levels, all increasing the risk of deadly disease.
Cluttered, disorganised and chaotic environments can have a detrimental effect on babies and young children. “If babies are exposed to high levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, they are most likely to develop behaviour problems and stress- related diseases later in life (Zijlmans et al 2015; Sanchez et al 2015; Asok et al 2013). In the worst case scenario, toxic stress may alter brain growth and shorten the lifespan.”5
5. A strong foundation for secure attachment.
It is not only babies and young children who are deeply impacted by both negative and positive environments, but also their parents who spend prolonged periods of time with their babies and young children within the home. Parents with babies and young children will spend a majority of their time with their children in the same environments, and what is beneficial for the baby will be equally beneficial for the parent. Creating a calming and nurturing environment will also strengthen the parent-child bond. When parents are calm they can more deeply connect with their children helping to build a strong foundation for secure attachment. Research shows that in supportive and nurturing environments, and when parents show higher levels of sensitivity towards their babies, these infant have lower baseline cortisol levels.6 “Affectionate contact triggers the realise of several stress-busting chemicals in the brain, including oxytocin (the so-called “love hormone”) and endogenous opioids (natural painkillers).”7
The baby-parent bond is created, supported and sustained in calming and nurturing environments. So what are the design elements that help to create the types of environments that calm and nurture babies and young children?
6. Low stimuli muted colours inspired by the natural world.
Within approximately 6 months of being born, infants transition from having a very limited ability to detect colour to being able to detect colour in the same way adults do.8 From this time onwards, babies psychological and physiological experience of colour will remain the same throughout their life. Like adults, babies and children are greatly impacted by the colours they interact with, and priority should be given to colours that are of benefit to the mind and body. Specifically, low stimuli muted colours inspired by the natural world have a profound ability to create a calm and nurturing environment.
Recent research indicates that colours wield significant influence over children's emotional states. According to Dr. Sarah Johnson, a child psychologist at Stanford University, “Soft, muted colours have been shown to promote a sense of calmness and relaxation in babies and young children”. In a study published in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology, Dr. David Smith of Harvard University found that environments featuring soothing colour palettes were associated with reduced levels of stress and anxiety in children. “We observed a notable decrease in cortisol levels among children exposed to calming colours,” Dr. Smith remarked.
6. Organic materials.
The use of organic, natural materials, such as organic cotton, can help create a gentle environment for babies. Organic cotton is produced without the harmful pesticides and chemicals used in the production of traditional cotton. Babies’ skin is thinner and more delicate than adult skin, which also makes it more prone to absorbing toxins. “There are so many potential irritants found in conventionally woven cotton fabrics and many babies have a reduced ability to absorb, process or eliminate them.”11 Choosing organic cotton for baby clothing, bedding and textiles can help reduce the toxic load on their bodies. Organic cotton is also a more breathable, hypoallergenic and softer textile option. It is less likely to cause irritation to babies’ skin, and it can help to keep them cool.
6. Simple designs and patterns drawn from nature.
Choosing simple natural patterns and textures for a young child’s environment can calm their nervous system and reduce stress. Many natural patterns are fractals - repeated visual patterns that recur at different scales, like the branches of trees or the petals of a flower. Research shows a strong relationship between fractals and soothing effects in human beings. We evolved seeing fractal patterns in nature, and so our brains are wired to process them quickly and easily. A research study published in 2006 found that looking at fractals in nature reduced stress by 60%.12 Even looking at natural imagery can produce similar stress-reducing effects – a further study found that viewing natural imagery with low to mid-range complexity induced relaxation.13
Exposure to patterns can also be beneficial to babies’ development. “Research shows that babies prefer to look at patterns, rather than at uniform scenes, perhaps because patterns provide opportunities to discern differences.”14
6. Soft but imaginative visual forms.
Research shows the positive effect of connection with animals including reduced stress, instilled feelings of calm, arousal in curiosity and interest, and greater empathy for creatures. A study conducted by the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom has found evidence to suggest that looking at animals may contribute to a reduction in stress and anxiety. The study saw blood pressure, heart rate and anxiety decrease in all participants.
There are also deep psychological reasons why babies, young children and adults are drawn to babies of all species, especially baby animals. Scientists believe this comes from our innate human nurturing instinct towards “baby schema”. "People are also animals, and our infants and young children – like the infants and young of most species – have certain consistent traits," explains David Barash, psychology professor at the University of Washington, who studies human and animal behaviour. "Any predisposition to be especially benevolent toward critters that meet the “baby schema” is likely to be strongly favoured by natural selection," confirms Barash.
Gentle sounds, low lighting and low-sensory input.
Babies and young children often need a soft, quiet, protected space where they can relax and have some space away from loud or busy areas in the home. Research shows how the incorporation of gentle sounds, low lighting and low- sensory input, has a calming effect on babies and young children helping to switch off the production of cortisol and increase feelings of calm and relaxation. And these design elements within spatial environments can lead to better sleep for babies and young children.
A calming environment for babies and young children promotes enhanced sleep quality which is critical for children’s physical and psychological health and wellbeing. “A quiet and clutter-free space allows children to relax and unwind, making it easier for them to fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night.”16
The three big takeaways.
01 By creating a calming and nurturing home environment, parents can lay the foundation for their children’s physical and psychological wellbeing, their sense of self and feelings of safety, and their experience of being and belonging in this world. Environments that calm and nurture babies and young children begin with the elements we put into them; low stimuli muted colours inspired by the natural world, organic materials, simple designs and patterns drawn from nature, soft but imaginative visual forms, gentle sounds, low lighting and tactile input, are elements are vital to our children’s physical and emotional health and wellbeing.
02 Babies, like adults, can be very sensitive to their surroundings and can easily become overwhelmed by too much stimulation. Too much noise, light, or activity can be disruptive and stressful for your baby. Overstimulation can easily occur in environments for babies and young children who are deeply impacted and influenced by the physical environments around them. Babies and young children often need a soft, quiet, protected space where they can relax and have some space away from loud or busy areas in the home. Research shows how the incorporation of gentle sounds, low lighting and low-sensory input, has a calming effect on babies and young children helping to switch off the production of cortisol and increase feelings of calm and relaxation. And these design elements within spatial environments can lead to better sleep for babies and young children.
03 It is not only babies and young children who are deeply impacted by both negative and positive environments, but also their parents who spend prolonged periods of time with their babies and young children within the home. Parents with babies and young children will spend a majority of their time with their children in the same environments, and what is beneficial for the baby will be equally beneficial for the parent. Creating a calming and nurturing environment will also strengthen the parent-child bond. When parents are calm they can more deeply connect with their children helping to build a strong foundation for secure attachment.
the design of grounding.
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CONCLUSION
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