Baby Love: Supporting Security

 

AN EVIDENCE-BASED PREVENTIVE INTERVENTION TO FOSTER SECURE ATTACHMENT RELATIONSHIPS

Created by Dr. Jean Wittenberg for the Hospital for Sick Children as part of their Infant Mental Health Promotion, the Baby Love program provides preventative intervention that helps caregivers foster secure attachment with their young babies in the first year of life and beyond. Baby Love supports caregivers in strengthening their attachment relationship with their infants and emphasizes the importance of feelings of security, reflective capacity and sensitive caregiving behaviours through 8 sessions offered weekly. Caregivers who have infants from 1 to 6 months of age are welcome to begin the program with their children.

A randomized control trial has shown significant improvement in maternal sensitivity and in reflective functioning according to the Hospital for Sick Children. Having a secure attachment means that when an infant feels distressed, they have learned to look to their caregiver for comfort and expect that they will make them feel secure therefore allowing them to develop a nervous system able to better handle stress. Feeling secure about your primary attachments  is the foundation for regulation and resilience and this attachment relationship is the template for all future relationships and core beliefs.

Baby Love addresses coping strategies and problem solving techniques for parents experiencing emotions such as anxiety, depression, anger in self and others as well as dealing with violence in the family or in the neighbourhood. It supports caregivers in strengthening their attachment relationship with their infants and emphasizes the importance of feelings of security, reflective capacity and sensitive caregiving behaviours. The ultimate goal is to support these relationships in order to strengthen cognitive, emotional, social, behavioural, and psychological functioning in children to carry into their adult lives. Attachment is a lifelong stress regulator.

At the end of the 9 weeks, caregivers will be equipped with the skills that allow them to be sensitive to their child’s mental health as well as their own. This subsequently means children will have better self-regulation, compliance, communication, autonomy, the ability and willingness to demonstrate feelings of empathy and to respond or initiate social responses with caregivers, adults, and peers. 

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What Baby Love participants had to say

“Thank you for providing a safe, warm, welcoming, non-judgmental and friendly space to share our worries, concerns and successes. Programs like yours make it feel like we truly are part of a community who cares for one another, especially the well-being of our babies.”

“I am a new parent in the Leslieville area and I recently completed the Baby Love program at the South Riverdale Child Parent Centre.

Navigating the journey as a new parent is an exciting time but also presents challenges when you’re raising a newborn in the middle of a pandemic.  With limited resources and social distancing restrictions, learning about how to care for your baby requires some creativity and perseverance.  I was thrilled to participate in the Baby Love program over 8 sessions and was very pleased with the program.  Although the sessions were facilitated virtually, Robin and Sarah, who led the sessions were highly engaging and prepared a range of topics that were very helpful for the new parents in the group. 

When I reflect on the key highlights of the program, the following stood out for me:

  • Learning about mindfulness and coping strategies to deal with stress, something that helped me with my mental health so I could be positive and present for my baby and family.

  • Understanding what baby is thinking and feeling, and how to effectively leverage ‘Serve and Return’ strategies for brain-building.

  • Sharing personal experiences through an open dialogue with the other parents and building relationships in the community.

I was impressed with the thought leadership of the effective agendas and the honest discussions with the parents within the group.  I have no doubt that the confidence I gained to be a successful parent and the strong relationships I developed with the other participants was a result from the Baby Love program.

Thank you to Sarah, Robin and the South Riverdale Child Parent Centre for your guidance and support in my parenting journey.”

“Thanks so much for facilitating this [group]. I wasn't sure what I was going to learn at first but I knew a fantastic program was offering it and assumed that it must be great. It was! Thank you for providing a safe, warm, welcoming, non-judgmental and friendly space to share our worries, concerns and successes. Programs like yours make it feel like we truly are part of a community who cares for one another, especially the well-being of our babies. Circle time was wonderful too, as usual.”

 

Upcoming Groups

  • September 2024

  • February 2025

 
 

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