Episode 15 – Optimising your baby’s development with Bailey Georgiades

Optimising your baby’s development is something almost all parents worry about at some stage. Maybe you’ve been at a birthday party, or you’re on a play date or even just at the park and you start comparing (or bragging) about your baby reaching milestones ‘early.’ It leaves even the most relaxed parent wondering whether they are doing enough of the right thing to give their baby the best start in life? What is truly good for our child’s development? And can we beat nature by nurturing any skill in our little ones? In the latest episode of SENSE by Meg Faure, Meg sits down with fellow mom, podcaster and media personality, Bailey Georgiadis to talk about optimising your baby’s development. Meg tackles the question of Nature vs Nurture. She explains the two critical ingredients in your child’s natural ability as their genetic make-up and the impact of your pregnancy. She describes ‘nurture’ as a mechanism to bring out your little ones’ potential. Meg goes on to share with Bailey the interplay between these two contributors to a baby’s development. Bailey asks Meg about milestones – why they exist and when is it time to worry if you’ve noticed a delay in reaching a certain milestone. Meg talks about the different types of development, i.e. gross motor, fine motor, social/emotional, cognitive and language development. Meg shares her insights into the significant obsession parents can develop about reaching milestones. She discusses what’s normal and how to take a measured approach to milestones. They also chat about a baby’s natural social-emotional milestones starting with primary maternal preoccupation. Meg explains that in the early days, babies bring their sensory personality to the mix, while parents bring their ability to calm their little one (see the Surviving the Fourth Trimester podcast for more). Meg refers to British pediatrician and psychoanalyst, Donald Winnicott’s theory of Good enough parenting and encourages parents to give themselves a break. ‘Don’t strive to be the perfect parent – it does more harm than good.”