Nourished. by Angelic Elrod

12/15/2025

Getting your child to listen is not about shouting. Research shows children are 31% more cooperative when adults speak from eye level. Kneeling or sitting signals respect, safety, and connection, which makes them more receptive to guidance.

Eye-level communication reduces intimidation. A towering adult can trigger fear, making children focus on the anger instead of the message. Being at their height demonstrates that you see and value them, helping the nervous system remain calm and attentive.

It also improves understanding. Kids can clearly see your facial expressions, mouth movements, and gestures, which enhances comprehension and learning. Your words and nonverbal cues work together, reinforcing the message without stress.

Yelling backfires. It triggers fear and anxiety, shuts down attention, and can harm the parent-child relationship. Children may start to fear your voice and feel unsafe, reducing cooperation and emotional connection.

By lowering yourself to their level, you build trust, show empathy, and model attentive listening. This simple shift strengthens bonds, makes communication smoother, and encourages natural cooperation. Calm presence and connection always outperform volume.

12/13/2025

Many parents believe letting a baby “cry it out” teaches independence and self-soothing. Neuroscience shows a very different reality. When a baby is left to cry alone, their nervous system goes into high alert. Heart rate rises, breathing becomes shallow, and stress hormones flood the body. The silence afterward is not calm, it is exhaustion.

In 2019, over 700 Danish child psychologists warned against solitary sleep training. Their concerns focused on elevated stress hormones and weakened attachment. When babies are left alone, the amygdala, the brain’s fear center, learns that strong feelings are ignored. The vagus nerve, which helps regulate stress, misses the practice it needs to calm the body. Over time, this can affect emotional growth.

Soothing a baby is not spoiling. It provides safety, supports healthy brain development, and teaches emotional regulation. Just as babies are guided when learning to walk, they need guidance in handling big feelings. Calm, consistent comfort teaches the brain that distress is temporary and that help is reliable.

Responding to a baby’s cry strengthens attachment, reduces stress, and lays the foundation for emotional resilience. Research shows that babies who receive responsive care develop stronger brains, better emotional regulation, and healthier relationships throughout life.

12/11/2025

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Babies who sleep close to a parent receive an extraordinary amount of physical touch during early life, averaging around 13,000 additional hours by the age of three. This extended contact is not about forming bad habits. It plays a vital role in regulating an infant’s nervous system during the most sensitive period of brain and immune development. Touch is one of the earliest and most powerful biological signals a baby receives, helping the body learn how to respond to stress, comfort, and safety.

Close sleep and frequent touch help stabilize heart rate, breathing, and cortisol levels in infants. When a baby feels safe, the nervous system shifts into a calm and regulated state, allowing energy to be used for growth rather than survival. This regulation supports stronger immune responses, better digestion, and healthier sleep cycles. Studies show that infants who experience consistent physical closeness often have fewer stress related illnesses and improved emotional resilience later in life.

Touch also plays a key role in brain development. Skin to skin contact stimulates neural connections involved in emotional processing, memory, and social bonding. These early connections lay the foundation for secure attachment, which influences confidence, relationships, and mental health well into adulthood. Securely attached children tend to handle stress better, form healthier relationships, and show stronger emotional regulation as they grow.

Human infants are biologically designed to stay close to caregivers. Physical closeness in the early years supports long term health in ways that extend far beyond childhood.

12/11/2025

I have an opening this Saturday at 11am! Use the coupon code: Holiday to receive $20 off any 30-60 minute session.

Are you feeling the holiday stress? Drop in and try a 30 minute head, face and neck massage with hot towels. Receive $20 off if you book this week using the coupon code $20off when booking online. Offer is only valid until December 21st!

Learn more here: https://www.angelicelrod.com/so/7cPh-NhN-?languageTag=en

12/09/2025

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12/09/2025

💜 It’s often said that children are so resilient. I totally disagree. 💜

12/09/2025

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It’s time for a more sophisticated approach.

Comment ‘Newsletter’ for details on my 2026 workshops and courses.

12/09/2025

When a child makes a mistake, they’re not just looking for consequences—they’re looking for connection.

They’re wondering:
“Am I still loved?”
“Am I safe?”
“Will you still accept me?”

If we respond with harshness or shame, they learn to hide.
If we respond with calm, compassion, and guidance, they learn to come closer.

We don’t need to excuse the behaviour—but we do need to protect the relationship.
Because over time, that trust becomes the foundation for honesty, accountability, and emotional safety.

Let’s be the ones they run to, not the ones they fear.

More information in my book
Guidance from The Therapist Parent
Available on my website www.thetherapistparent.com and Amazon