Infant Mental Health Awareness Week 2024
Infant Mental Health Awareness Week takes place from 10th – 16th June 2024 and is a great opportunity to highlight the importance of supporting babies' mental health and wellbeing.
The first 2 years of a baby’s life is a period of rapid development when the brain is making one million new connections every second. Early relationships influence the way that a baby’s brain develops.
When parents and carers are able to tune-in and respond to their babies’ needs sensitively it lays the foundations for lifelong mental and physical health and helps them to:
- Grow up feeling safe, secure and ready to play, explore and learn
- Have skills to understand and manage their emotions and behaviour
- Feel confident in themselves and develop trusting relationships with others
Babies don’t come with a manual, but they do work hard to try to be understood. Although they can't talk yet, you can still tell a lot about what might be going on for them.
- Get to know your baby by spending time watching them - See the world through your baby's eyes and take the time to try to understand what they might be feeling or thinking. Look for things like the tone of the sounds they make, facial expressions and the direction of their gaze. Stepping back and learning about your baby's cues can help you to better understand and meet your baby's needs.
- Respond to your baby's cries - It's your baby's way of letting you know they need something (a cuddle, change of position, less noise, food, changing, etc.).You won't 'spoil' your baby by picking them up when they cry. In fact, research shows that babies who are responded to cry less than those who are left to cry. You might not be able to work out what they need immediately, but your baby will feel safe knowing that you are there trying to make things better.
Lots of things can affect how you feel about your baby and yourself as a parent, and this can get in the way of developing a positive relationship with your baby. It’s not unusual for parents and carers to struggle, and there is help available if you need it.
If you are concerned that the bond with your baby isn't developing visit Parent and Infant Mental Health for services that can support.