For years now professionals in the field of early intervention have been focusing on something many adults haven’t given any thought to; the mental health of infants and young children.
Focusing on Infant Mental Health promotes strong, healthy communities and families in general, as it seeks to grow babies into competent, resilient individuals, with strong social-emotional skills.
What is infant mental health?
It refers to the idea that giving babies a loving and secure start to life helps them feel calm and safe, allowing their brains to develop in optimal ways.
Having attentive and tender caregivers who are in tune with baby, and meet all their needs consistently with comfort, helps babies form a secure bond and positive attachment. That secure bond and attachment to trustworthy and affectionate caregivers actually shapes the baby’s brain in ideal ways to lead to lifelong learning, especially in areas of resiliency, self-regulation, empathy and healthy coping mechanisms.
Without the validating responsiveness to their cries, a child’s brain can be overcome by stress hormones instead. Remember, science shows that you cannot spoil a child with love and affection, and meeting their needs in positive ways sets them up for success. You can actually grow your child’s brain with love!
“The first three years of life have a unique and formative impact on development, relationships and functioning throughout life.”
For more information, visit the link below to read about the research, training, and articles developed by Canada’s Infant Mental Health Promotion out of Sick Kids hospital in Toronto. https://www.imhpromotion.ca/
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