Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Safety and Care - Nurturing Relationships - Babies
Safety and Care - Nurturing Relationships - Babies
Nurturing Relationships
Babies
(NQF)ELEMENT 5.1.3
EACH CHILD IS SUPPORTED TO FEEL SECURE, CONFIDENT AND
INCLUDED.
NURTURING
RELATIONSHIPS
Infants and toddlers who
are loved, nurtured and
cared for by responsive
adults are more
adventurous, confident
and sociable than
children whose
caregivers are distant
and emotionally
unavailable.
BONDING AND
ATTACHMENT
A bond develops when an
infants parents, other family
members and caregivers develop
nurturing relationships with that
child
Attachment is a special bond
between an infant and those who
care for him/her.
Attachment is characterised by a
strong feeling of being connected
and belonging together.
ATTACHMENT IS
IMPORTANT BECAUSE.
1. It provides a secure base
from which infants can
explore the world
2. It provides a model for
future relationships
3. Securely attached
children tend to be more
outgoing, happy and do
better at school than
children who are not
TRUST AND
ATTACHMENT
Infants develop a sense of trust when
they are in an environment that gives
them the following messages:
The world is a friendly place their
cries prompt a positive response by
loving, nurturing adults
They are important their needs are
met quickly and consistently
TRUST AND
ATTACHMENT
Without a sense of trust the world becomes an
unreliable, frightening place
Developing a trusting relationship and secure
attachments to primary carers is critical for the healthy
social and emotional development of infants and
toddlers
STAGES OF ATTACHMENT
First Stage (birth 5/6 months) Obvious preference for mother,
however babies at this stage discriminate less between adults, so
long as their needs are met in a responsive , caring way
Second Stage (5-11mths) Infants show a definite preference for
familiar people eg mother, father, frequent carer.
STRATEGIES TO
SUPPORT ATTACHMENT
Understanding about the development of
attachment is important professional
knowledge.
In childrens services, healthy attachment
relationships between children and carers
are characterised by the following:
WHAT DOES
ATTACHMENT LOOK
LIKE?
BEGINS WITH LOVE
RESPECT
SUPPORTING BABIES EFFORTS
POSITIVE GUIDANCE
KEEPING IT LIGHT
STRENGTHENING ATTACHMENT EMBEDDED IN
ORDINARY ROUTINES
CARING AND SAFE EMOTIONAL CLIMATE
RESPONSE TO BODY LANGUAGE
USING BOOKS
TEACHING GROUP ENTRY SKILLS
CARING AND RESPONSIVE ENVIRONMENT
ATTENTIVE GLANCES
2.
3.
4.
5.
SEPARATION ANXIETY
Find out childs likes and dislikes
Follow parents advice / suggestions
Be friendly and reassuring to parents
Ask parent to send something special from home
Make sure child has comforters
Never leave distressed child to cry by him/herself
Offer physical comfort, even if they continue to cry
SEPARATION ANXIETY
CONT
Talk to child in gentle, reassuring voice
TRANSITION PHASE
The younger the child, the more critical
the transition phase.
A well planned transition into care
should take place over several weeks
and allow:
The child to develop an attachment to
the primary carer
The child to get to know the carer and
adjust to the care setting while having
the security of their mother close by to
reassure the child
A gradual decrease in the amount of
time parents spend at the service with
the child
TRANSITION PHASE
CONT.
A positive relationship with the parent to develop,
which sets the foundation for an ongoing exchange of
information and shared decision making
Parents to meet other carers and parents
Parents to observe the carers and program in action
Parents and carers to discuss any issues that arise
before care officially commences
GATHERING
INFORMATION
One of the most important features of a well planned
transition is the opportunity for carers to gather information
about the cultural context in which the child lives and about
the individual needs of the child including:
The childs daily schedule and routines when the child
sleeps, eats, wakes, requires nappy change or toileting
Learning about infants cues or how the child communicates
and how carer can respond to these cues
Asking questions and observing parent child rituals that
have developed as part of the child-parent relationship
REASSURING AND
SUPPORTING PARENTS
How might you reassure a parent who was
showing signs of distress at leaving his/her
child in your care?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
GENERAL STRATEGIES TO
SUPPORT SEPARATION
Find out childs likes and dislikes
Follow parents advice / suggestions
Be friendly and reassuring to parents
Ask parent to send something special from home
Make sure child has comforters
Never leave distressed child to cry by him/herself
Offer physical comfort, even if they continue to cry
Talk to child in gentle, reassuring voice
Take child for a walk away from hustle and bustle of room
Find a game/activity child likes
Establish a ritual to carry out when parent leaves
Take their fears seriously
Try to prevent frightening situations from occurring
INTERACTING WITH
INFANTS / BABIES
Interactions with babies need to be respectful and
reciprocal. What does this mean to you?
Speaking to the child about things which concern them
Pause in your interactions to allow infant to take turns
in the conversation
To follow up on infants interests and communication
Involves sometimes leading and sometimes following
the child in the interaction
INITIATING
INTERACTIONS
FOLLOWING
INTERACTIONS
When we follow an interaction we tend to:
1. Respond positively to the child initiating the
interaction
2. Follow up on the childs interest
3. Wait to see where the child wants to take the
interaction
4. Pick up on the childs cues and interests