Love for babies!

Love for Babies, how does love start with babies?

The way you love a baby is how baby will learn to love. Love them deeply and they too will love in the same way. A baby who is supported, responded to and nurtured will develop confidence and a sense of trust towards others.

Talk and sing to your baby, especially whilst they are still in the womb, they can hear and bond with you even then. Whilst baby is still in the womb they take on the mother's state of being, so if mum is stressed both hers and the baby’s cortisol (stress hormone) levels rise, if mum is happy and joyful, baby will be too! Interacting with baby is how they learn, it is why you are baby’s first teacher.

Once baby is born, talking and singing to them helps to cement your bond but it also aids their auditory processing and teaches them communication skills. Massage them as this helps to relax them, helps them to connect up their bodies. When babies are born they do not realise they are separate to you let alone have a body which connects to arms and hands, legs and feet. By massaging them you are helping those nerves, muscles and neurons to all connect up together.

Do some tummy time with them each and every day. Tummy time is a position of play and when babies are playing, they are learning. They may not enjoy being on the floor but there are SO many other ways to do tummy time (a lot of which I am sure you are already doing without even realising it!) and it is vital as it helps build their proprioception (where there bodies, hands, arms are in relation to their environment), vestibular (their balance and coordination) system and helps them to be school ready. I know it sounds bonkers but by helping baby develop a strong core, shoulders and neck muscles, their bodies are more able to sit still without their brains having to think about trying to sit still therefore leaving more brain power to take in what they are being taught! It can also help them to develop their plantar arches in their hands which can help with their fine motor skills such as holding a pen/pencil, especially for longer periods of time.

The more you interact with baby, the more you will be able to read and understand their cues. Facial signals, body movements and crying are baby’s only method of communication and they usually only start crying if a facial expression of body movement has been missed, they will make noise if you have not been paying attention or they get bored. Stress cues of a grimace, or turning away then they probably need a break, they will also be able to show you happy cues like lots of eye contact, deep belly breathing and curious in the world around them.

Fathers and other main caregivers that are more involved in bathing, feeding and changing nappies are more SO important as it has been found that the more they participated, the more socially responsive babies were. The more involved they are (especially when supported with responses from the babies and mothers) the more measurable and positive effects are on the development of the children and the more resilient the babies and children are in the face of stressful situations.

If you have any questions, want to book onto a baby massage 101 class, tummy time master class or group workshop please don’t hesitate to book on at https://www.littlebudsnurturehub.com/classes or you can contact me on info@littlebudsnurturehub.com. You can also join the wonderful facebook group for expectant and new mums. It is a wonderful supportive group filled with love and positivity, affirmations, live demos and lots more https://www.facebook.com/groups/253665239184451 hope to see you there soon!