Neuroscience lets us inside the mind of a toddler… and it’s fascinating

Why are you lying on the ground? Are you annoyed? Sad? Constipated?

Parenting a toddler can often be a baffling experience. They are babbling happily one minute and throwing a bowl of porridge at your head the next. I often feel like I'm in the dream sequence from West Side Story where I'm the Shark and she's the Jet and we circle each other suspiciously waiting to see who will flinch first. It's inevitably me when she pees on the rug while maintaining total eye contact. But although you have no idea what's going on in those cute heads... science can. Neuroscientists find this state of brain development fascinating because all the connections that are needed for your ENTIRE life are in the middle of their formation. And that is why it is so important to understand what is going on with your mini-me. Dr Dean Burrett is one of those who studies the human mind - he says that while adults have systems in their brain for organising thoughts and situations, that is not yet formed in children. That means children under the age of 7 have only partial recall. That explains why you have to ask them every day to do the same things over and over again. And that is why routine is so important - your child is confused when things change and that loss of control can cause them to spiral out of control without the emotional stability that they have not yet grasped. And those total meltdowns in the supermarket? Science has an answer for that too - it is a form of self-preservation "From an evolutionary standpoint, part of the reason a child cries and throws a tantrum is to get the most possible attention from an adult within a group or community. Flailing and wailing can both scare off predators and call an adult, which makes screaming fits a biological imperative." Now, all you have to do is memorise these tips with your fantastically adult brain and try to share these insights with fellow passengers next time you set foot on a plane.