I thought as “Call the Midwife” was coming back on soon and I can’t resist an Anne Geddes’ baby photo, I would write here about The Psychologist magazine’s top ten tips about mothers and babies (Jan. 2016):
- Babies learn to smile and laugh at a very early age and do this in order to gain your attention, so engage with them and you will be rewarded; (better than being on your smartphone surely?)
- Learn about postnatal depression before the birth and then you will know what to look out for and how to get help if necessary.
- Garner support from other mothers by joining a group e.g. parents and toddlers, baby yoga etc. – these friendships will often last a lifetime.
- Playing with your child can sometimes get tiring or boring, so hand over to his/her dad whenever possible as babies and toddlers need age appropriate rough and tumble play and will benefit from more than one attachment figure.
- The language instinct is natural for human babies – so no need to worry about it and it will still happen naturally (albeit with a slight delay) if the parents speak two different languages – talking to your child is an important part of bonding even if they don’t understand what you say!
- Young babies can sleep anywhere during the day even with a background noise such as a washing machine (not sudden noises) and will then learn the difference between night and day. If after 6 months night time sleeping is a problem there is plenty of help available for sleep training from your health visitor or other health professionals.
- Hold and cuddle your baby as much as possible as it will help keep them calm, especially so with newborns
- Babies love faces and if you can not be there for him/her 24/7 then find a suitable cuddly toy with big eyes, a nose and a mouth – I remember my daughter used to love looking at an owl nightdress case!
- Breastfeeding is a journey – but nearly always worth it – there is plenty of support available too if you need it e.g. from NCT breastfeeding counsellors (you don’t have to be a member) and I have a whole PhD on the subject if anyone wants to know more!
- If your own mother/mother-in -law tells you there are certain rules you must follow – don’t listen – nine times out of ten your instincts will be correct and health professionals are more likely to have more upto date knowledge than someone who had a baby 30 years ago.