Why Building Babies Brains?

Why Building Babies’ Brains Matters

The first 1001 critical days—from conception to age two—are a vital window in a child’s development. What happens during this time can shape their future health, learning, and wellbeing.

Yet many parents and carers aren’t aware of how powerful early interactions can be. Nearly 1 in 5 parents of young children have two or fewer people they can turn to locally for support (Oppenheim et al., 2022).

Building Babies’ Brains (BBB) exists to fill this gap. Our champions offer trusted, evidence-based information and signpost support—free from judgment. By training local champions, we create a ripple effect of knowledge that stays within communities and becomes part of everyday life.

We measure our impact through feedback, case studies, surveys, interviews, and focus groups.

Our approach is informed by research published in partnership with Exeter University. Click below to explore the findings.

Building Babies Brains Research

1. Understanding knowledge mobilisation between Community Champions and Parents: Evidence from a Community-Based Programme to Support Parents with Young Children. Kath Wilkinson, Research Fellow Exeter University

1. The role of community champions in place-based early years support: how can we successfully share knowledge and build parent confidence. Dr Siobhan Mitchell, Research Fellow, Exeter University

Hear from a Director of a CIC

"It has transformed the way I deliver baby massage, where as before I just focussed on the strokes I can now say more from that evidence base about what their babies are getting from the interactions and how that is supporting their brain development."