When you hear the word influencer, what comes to mind?
When we think of “influencers,” our brains immediately go to curated feeds, viral TikToks, and sponsored product drops. But if you’re raising a tiny human, you’ve already landed the most crucial influencer gig on the planet, no blue checkmark required.
“To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.”
—Author unknown
For a young child, that “one person” might be a parent, grandparent, sibling, teacher, childcare provider, healthcare professional, neighbor, family friend, or simply someone who shows up consistently.
And those everyday relationships matter.
Your audience might be one.
The Math Behind the Magic: During the first three years of life, a child’s brain builds over 1 million new neural connections every single second (Harvard Center on the Developing Child). By age three, that brain has reached about 80% of adult size (UNICEF).
The Real “Content”: Your baby isn’t looking for a viral trend. Their brain is wiring itself based on your voice, your reactions, eye contact, and how you handle their big feelings.
Serve and Return: When your baby babbles or points and you react, that back-and-forth exchange (neuroscientists call it “serve and return”) builds the physical architecture of their brain.
That’s why the people who spend time with young children have such an incredible opportunity to influence their lives.
You don’t have to be famous.
You don’t need a platform.
You just have to matter to a child.
You might be an influencer if…
You’ve read the exact same picture book 47 times today.
Why it feels exhausting: You have the entire text memorized, you’re doing voices you didn’t know you possessed, and you secretly want to hide the book behind the couch.
Why it’s actually elite-level influencing: Repetition is how toddler brains map language. To you, it’s groundhog day; to them, predictability feels safe, and repeating words builds the neural superhighways for literacy and focus.
You hold full-blown, two-way conversations with someone who only speaks in babbles and squeaks.
Why it feels silly: You’re narrated your grocery list or explaining laundry fold patterns to a seven-month-old who is currently trying to eat their own foot.
Why it’s actually elite-level influencing: Neuroscientists call this “serve and return.” When they make a sound (serve) and you respond with eye contact and words (return), you are literally wiring their brain’s communication network and teaching them that their voice matters.
You drop everything to validate a massive meltdown over a broken banana.
Why it feels overwhelming: You’re tired, dinner is burning, and logic does not apply when a banana snaps in half.
Why it’s actually elite-level influencing: You aren’t just managing chaos; you are coaching emotional regulation. Staying calm while their world falls apart teaches their nervous system how to process big feelings safely. That’s resilience training in real time.
You make up utterly absurd songs about mundane tasks.
Why it feels unhinged: You’re freestyle-rapping about putting on shoes or singing an operatic ballad about brushing teeth at 7:00 AM.
Why it’s actually elite-level influencing: Rhythm and melody make transitions smoother while firing up multiple areas of the brain at once. You aren’t just getting out the door—you’re turning routine care into high-value bonding.
You let them “help” with a chore, even though it takes triple the time.
Why it tests your patience: Wiping down counter tops with a toddler means the counters end up wetter and the paper towels end up everywhere.
Why it’s actually elite-level influencing: Inclusion builds capability. When you let them participate, you’re handing them the ultimate “influencer endorsement”—confidence in their own agency and problem-solving abilities.
You notice the tiny things everyone else walks right past.
Why it slows you down: A five-minute walk to the car turns into a 20-minute investigation of a bug, a shiny rock, or a crack in the sidewalk.
Why it’s actually elite-level influencing: Stopping to look at what they’re pointing at validates their curiosity. You’re showing them that the world is worth exploring and that their interests are worth your time.
The first three years are a big deal
At Build a Brain, we talk a lot about the first three years because this period lays an important foundation for future learning, behavior, health, and relationships.
By age 3, a child’s brain has reached approximately 80% of adult brain size, according to UNICEF. UNICEF
But brain size isn’t the whole story.
What matters is what is happening inside that developing brain.
The conversations.
The songs.
The cuddles.
The questions.
The play.
The shared books.
The eye contact.
The “Yes! I see what you’re pointing at!”
The “Tell me about it.”
The “Let’s try again.”
These are the everyday moments where influence happens.
And here’s the thing:
Influence doesn’t always look like influence.
There’s no notification ping when you successfully wire a child’s brain for resilience, empathy, or language. Impact happens in the quiet, mundane moments: the morning cuddles, the silly songs, and the quick "I see you." That’s the thing about influencing a child.
And yes, social-media influencers can matter, too.
There’s another side to this conversation.
Babies and toddlers may not be scrolling Instagram or TikTok, but their parents and caregivers are.
The information adults see online can influence the choices they make at home—from how they approach reading and talking with their children to how they think about nutrition, sleep, play, screen time, and emotional development.
So, in a way, a social-media influencer can influence a child without ever meeting that child.
But there’s an important distinction:
Online influence is one thing. Relationship-based influence is another.
A social-media post might inspire a parent to read more.
But the person who actually sits beside the child and reads the book?
That’s an influencer, too.
Who are you influencing today?
Maybe you’re a parent.
A grandparent.
A sibling.
A teacher.
A childcare provider.
A healthcare professional.
A neighbor.
A family friend.
You may never think of yourself as an influencer.
But if a child is a little healthier, more confident, more curious, more connected, or more ready to learn because of something you do….
you might be one.
Build a Brain. Build a Life. Build a Community.®
The first three years are an extraordinary opportunity to support a child’s developing brain through simple, meaningful interactions.
Talk. Sing. Read. Play. Respond.
The moments that seem small to us can be building something very big for a child.
Learn more and find resources for parents, caregivers, healthcare providers, and communities at Build a Brain and The Build a Brain Project community.