What your baby needs to thrive (2024)

Children need love. Your care and support will give your child a secure base from which to explore the world.

Your baby needs good health and energy to learn and grow, and you can help by taking care of their basic needs. Visit your baby clinic for regular weight checks and talk to your health visitor or GP if you have any concerns. Remember to keep their immunisations up to date so that they're protected against serious diseases (NHS 2019).

Sleeping
Sleep is anything but wasted time for your baby. They need plenty of rest so that they can grow well and develop properly. You can lay down the foundations of a bedtime routine for your baby from around three months (NHS 2021). But you start showing them the difference between day and night right from the start (NHS 2021).

Although formula milk can’t replicate all of the properties of breastmilk (Martin et al 2016), formula-fed babies thrive too. Give your baby lots of cuddles and eye contact when you feed them and check their feeding position to help avoid ear infections (Schilder et al 2016 ).

Talking to your baby and encouraging them to "talk" back will help them to express themselves (Polka et al 2022). Good communication skills are very important in helping children grow into happy adults (Mendelsohn et al 2018).

You can even begin during your pregnancy. Chatting to your bump is a great way to start the bonding process.

Once your baby is born, talk to them as you change their nappy and feed them. They’ll respond if they know the words are directed at them, so try to look at them while you’re speaking (Sheridan 2022).

Don’t worry about words of wisdom. Just describe what you’re doing and what your baby is doing. For example, "I’m putting warm water in the bath so I can get you nice and clean".

Reading out loud is one of the most important things you can do to help build your child’s vocabulary and boost their imagination and language skills (KidsHealth 2019b). Reading aloud to your baby boosts the number of neural pathways in their developing brain. These become the foundation for learning and may also help your little one do better at school later on (FirstBook 2018). By showing them books are fun, you’ll also be encouraging what will hopefully become a lifetime habit.

Reading also gives you a chance to cuddle and spend time together. Babies can enjoy simple board books as early as six months old (KidsHealth 2019b), but you can start reading to them from the moment they're born. A bedtime story is a great way to wind down as part of your baby’s bedtime routine, too.

You can buy, or borrow from a library, a book designed specifically for your newborn too, with simple, contrasting images that are easier for their eyes to focus on. These books often feature horizontal and vertical stripes in black and white, and use large, simple illustrations of faces that your baby will start to recognise and respond to.

For your child to learn about people, places, and things, they need to be exposed to them. Every new interaction gives them information about the world and their place in it.

Of course, children can become over-stimulated. You don’t want to bombard your baby with information, 24 hours a day, or try to engage all their senses at once. As they get older, though, they will start to be interested in playing. Have a variety of toys and other objects, but try to offer them only one or two at a time. Try the following, to help them get the most from playtime:

To develop strong muscles, good balance, and coordination, your baby needs plenty of space to crawl, cruise, and eventually walk. They’ll also benefit from safe spaces where they can explore their surroundings without hearing "no" or "don’t touch". The easiest way to do this is to childproof your home wherever you can.

Keep dangerous objects out of your baby’s reach. For instance, in the kitchen, put childproof locks on all the cabinets except one. Put together a selection of plastic bowls, measuring cups, wooden spoons, and pots and pans that your baby can play with safely. Get these out of the cupboard whenever you feel your baby needs something to focus on when you’re working in the kitchen (NHS 2022a).

Toys and activities that are way beyond their abilities may frustrate your child. However, a little struggling can go a long way towards developing their strengths and skills as well as their social and emotional development (Mendelsohn et al 2018). When an activity doesn’t come easily to your baby, they have to work out a new way to accomplish it. That type of problem-solving is the stuff the best brains are made of.

Simple, everyday interactions between you and your baby are important for their development.

But if you’re feeling drained or exhausted, try to find ways to divide the household and parenting responsibilities with your partner. This way you won’t feel so put upon. If you’re a single parent, try to surround yourself with people who can offer you help and support. And treat yourself to a little me-time once in a while. Being a parent is tiring, and you need time to re-energise.

If you feel sad, guilty or irritable, it could be a warning sign of postnatal depression (PND). PND is more common than you may think and it can affect both parents (NHS 2022).

Your GP, midwife or health visitor will understand and they can really help, so talk to them if you are finding it difficult to bond with your baby (NHS 2022). Also talk to your partner, family members and friends about how you feel. Extra support can help you in bonding with your baby.

If you work and aren’t able to care for your baby during the day, good quality childcare is essential for your baby’s healthy development. The same is true if you need a babysitter regularly. You’ll want to find someone who can do all the things mentioned above when you’re not around.

Whether your childcare provider is a nanny, a relative, or a nursery worker, they should be experienced, caring, and reputable. They should have a genuine love for children and the energy to help your baby thrive.