Showing love and affection
section 2
Showing love and affection
0-3 months
meeting
13
Let’s review:
Once the meeting starts, welcome everyone and ask the participants: • Who can help us remember what we talked about in our last meeting? • Who was able to do the activity at home that we asked you to do at the end of the meeting? How did it go? • Does anyone have questions or concerns after doing the activity?
What are we going to learn?
The importance of creating a bond with the new baby in order to help with its emotional development. Let’s talk about it! We are going to look at some pictures so we can talk about what we know about the topic.
What are a few ways to show love and care to babies?
In your family, how do you demonstrate love and care for small children? How have you seen babies respond to love and care?
section 2 / 0-3 months • meeting 13
50
Activity:
“Seeds of affection” We are going to learn different ways in which we can show affection towards children and help them in their emotional development.
What we’ll need: • Small seeds of crops that are in season
WHAT WE’LL DO: • A clay pot with soil • Read this quote: “Children who receive love and affection in the first years of their life become self secure adults who easily express affection and are very intelligent.” • Then ask the participants whether they think this quote is true or not. Ask them to talk about times when they have received affection, how it made them feel and what they would like their baby to be like when he or she grows up. • Now give each participant a seed or two and tell them they are seeds of affection. • Ask each participant to think of an expression of affection for each seed. • Sitting in a circle, ask them to put the seeds in one by one and as they plant them to say out loud the expression of affection they have thought of, such as: “For my baby’s future I plant….kisses” … “For my baby’s future, I plant …hugs”. “For my baby’s future I plant… smiles”. OTHER SUGGESTIONS: Help the group think of other ways to demonstrate affection to their babies. You can make a few suggestions as well such as: • Stroking the baby’s face and hair • Telling him/her what a beautiful baby he/she is and how much you love him/her. • Bouncing the baby up and down • Tickling the baby
Summing Up:
What did we learn today? Now, we’ll review what we discussed today. • How do you feel after this meeting? Why? • What are the two most important things you’ve learned today? • What will you do differently based on what you learned during the meeting? • What did you like the most? Are there things you didn’t like? • Do you have any remaining concerns or questions about what we talked about?
Facilitator’s Manual
51 To finish, what would you recommend to improve today’s meeting when we do it again with another group. (Explain that answering this question will help the meeting be even better in the future for parents with small children.)
To do at home:
• T he adults in the house where the baby lives should get together and talk about how they are demonstrating affection to the baby and if these are the correct ways to do it. • The parents should count how many times a day they are showing affection and love to their baby.
Basic information for the facilitator: Learning more about demonstrating love and affection: Babies are born into the world with a set of behaviors especially designed to engage their caregivers and make them fall in love with them. Those first cute smiles, cooing, gurgling and endearing hand movements are all designed to attract the attention of the caregivers. Young babies must cope with more change than at any other time in the human experience. In the first few weeks the young baby’s behavior is random and unpredictable as he adjusts to his new environment outside the womb. He may cry without reason and stop just as quickly. Crying is a baby’s way of communicating to the people in his world. The young baby is particularly sensitive to the messages carried by the skin so it is important to reassure a young baby by touching. Gentle handling is important: wrap him warmly, hold him closely, handle him slowly. Gentle speaking to young babies, smiling and eye contact from caregivers is also very important. Most babies thrive on close, warm, physical contact with adults, however not all babies are cuddly. Less cuddly babies seem to reject, even resent the physical constriction and enfolding arms or blankets. These babies seem to prefer looking and listening. Parents need to learn how to handle their particular baby. Continual adjustments in caring behavior need to be made until a pattern is established. It may take just a few days or it may take several weeks before the caregiver and the young baby begin to understand each other. Babies cry for a reason. Usually the need is simple and can be easily satisfied by food, warmth, cuddling or rocking. Ways to soothe and show affection include: kisses, hugs, skin to skin, massage, bathing, eye contact. It is natural and instinctive for a young baby to be content when held. The lack of physical contact is sometimes the reason for a crying baby.
section 2 / 0-3 months • meeting 13
52 All caregivers should display affection to young babies. It is particularly important for the male family members such as fathers and grandfathers as well as mothers; however bonding is usually stronger with mothers at this stage. Young babies are aware of their siblings and look for their attention.
SUM UP: Affection provides the foundation for the baby to feel safe, loved and ready to explore their world.
Reference: UNICEF Parent Education toolkit. Cassie Landers.
Facilitator’s Manual
Showing love and affection
0-3 months
meeting
13
Let’s review:
Once the meeting starts, welcome everyone and ask the participants: • Who can help us remember what we talked about in our last meeting? • Who was able to do the activity at home that we asked you to do at the end of the meeting? How did it go? • Does anyone have questions or concerns after doing the activity?
What are we going to learn?
The importance of creating a bond with the new baby in order to help with its emotional development. Let’s talk about it! We are going to look at some pictures so we can talk about what we know about the topic.
What are a few ways to show love and care to babies?
In your family, how do you demonstrate love and care for small children? How have you seen babies respond to love and care?
section 2 / 0-3 months • meeting 13
50
Activity:
“Seeds of affection” We are going to learn different ways in which we can show affection towards children and help them in their emotional development.
What we’ll need: • Small seeds of crops that are in season
WHAT WE’LL DO: • A clay pot with soil • Read this quote: “Children who receive love and affection in the first years of their life become self secure adults who easily express affection and are very intelligent.” • Then ask the participants whether they think this quote is true or not. Ask them to talk about times when they have received affection, how it made them feel and what they would like their baby to be like when he or she grows up. • Now give each participant a seed or two and tell them they are seeds of affection. • Ask each participant to think of an expression of affection for each seed. • Sitting in a circle, ask them to put the seeds in one by one and as they plant them to say out loud the expression of affection they have thought of, such as: “For my baby’s future I plant….kisses” … “For my baby’s future, I plant …hugs”. “For my baby’s future I plant… smiles”. OTHER SUGGESTIONS: Help the group think of other ways to demonstrate affection to their babies. You can make a few suggestions as well such as: • Stroking the baby’s face and hair • Telling him/her what a beautiful baby he/she is and how much you love him/her. • Bouncing the baby up and down • Tickling the baby
Summing Up:
What did we learn today? Now, we’ll review what we discussed today. • How do you feel after this meeting? Why? • What are the two most important things you’ve learned today? • What will you do differently based on what you learned during the meeting? • What did you like the most? Are there things you didn’t like? • Do you have any remaining concerns or questions about what we talked about?
Facilitator’s Manual
51 To finish, what would you recommend to improve today’s meeting when we do it again with another group. (Explain that answering this question will help the meeting be even better in the future for parents with small children.)
To do at home:
• T he adults in the house where the baby lives should get together and talk about how they are demonstrating affection to the baby and if these are the correct ways to do it. • The parents should count how many times a day they are showing affection and love to their baby.
Basic information for the facilitator: Learning more about demonstrating love and affection: Babies are born into the world with a set of behaviors especially designed to engage their caregivers and make them fall in love with them. Those first cute smiles, cooing, gurgling and endearing hand movements are all designed to attract the attention of the caregivers. Young babies must cope with more change than at any other time in the human experience. In the first few weeks the young baby’s behavior is random and unpredictable as he adjusts to his new environment outside the womb. He may cry without reason and stop just as quickly. Crying is a baby’s way of communicating to the people in his world. The young baby is particularly sensitive to the messages carried by the skin so it is important to reassure a young baby by touching. Gentle handling is important: wrap him warmly, hold him closely, handle him slowly. Gentle speaking to young babies, smiling and eye contact from caregivers is also very important. Most babies thrive on close, warm, physical contact with adults, however not all babies are cuddly. Less cuddly babies seem to reject, even resent the physical constriction and enfolding arms or blankets. These babies seem to prefer looking and listening. Parents need to learn how to handle their particular baby. Continual adjustments in caring behavior need to be made until a pattern is established. It may take just a few days or it may take several weeks before the caregiver and the young baby begin to understand each other. Babies cry for a reason. Usually the need is simple and can be easily satisfied by food, warmth, cuddling or rocking. Ways to soothe and show affection include: kisses, hugs, skin to skin, massage, bathing, eye contact. It is natural and instinctive for a young baby to be content when held. The lack of physical contact is sometimes the reason for a crying baby.
section 2 / 0-3 months • meeting 13
52 All caregivers should display affection to young babies. It is particularly important for the male family members such as fathers and grandfathers as well as mothers; however bonding is usually stronger with mothers at this stage. Young babies are aware of their siblings and look for their attention.
SUM UP: Affection provides the foundation for the baby to feel safe, loved and ready to explore their world.
Reference: UNICEF Parent Education toolkit. Cassie Landers.
Facilitator’s Manual
