Keys to Quality Infant Care: Nurturing Every Baby's Life Journey

Author(s): Alice Sterling Honig

Source: YC Young Children , September 2010, Vol. 65, No. 5 (September 2010), pp. 40-47
Published by: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)

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 Keys to Quality
Infant Care

Nurturing Every Eiaby's

Life Journey
Alice Sterling Honig

TI eachers
I of infants need a large bunch of key ideas and
I activities of all kinds to unlock in each child the treasures
of loving kindness, thoughtful and eloquent use of lan-
guage, intense active curiosity to learn, willingness to coop-
erate, and the deep desire to work hard to master new tasks.
Here are some ideas that teachers can use during interac-
tions with infants to optimize each child's development. õ
n

I
fe
S

«Agflfek Get to know each baby's

jgSaÄL unique personality
chants, "Mary had a little lamb whose fleece
f ^ At 4 months, Luci holds her hands in
was white as snow!" Outdoors, 1 -year-old
front of her face and turns them back and
Jamie sits in an infant swing peering down
forth so she can see the curious visual difference between
at his feet sticking out of the leg holes. How
the palms and backs. Jackson, an 8-month-old, bounces hap-
interesting! Those are the same feet he has
pily in accurate rhythm as his teacher bangs on a drum and
watched waving in the air while being dia-
pered and has triumphantly brought to his
mouth to chew on.

Teachers can tune in to each child's spe-

cial personality - especially the child's tem-
perament. There are three primary, mostly
inborn, styles of temperament (Honig 1997).
Some babies are more low-key; they tend to
be slow to warm up to new caregivers, new
foods, and new surroundings. They need
reassuring hand-holding and more physical

Alice Sterling Honig, PhD, is professor emerita

of child development in the College of Human
Ecology at Syracuse University, where she has
taught the QIC (Quality Infant/Toddler Caregiving.)
Workshop for 34 years. She is the author or edi-
tor of more than two dozen books and more than
500 articles and chapters on early childhood. As
a licensed New York State clinician, she works
with children and families coping with a variety of
e troubles, such as divorce or learning difficulties.
%
ori
[email protected]
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O)

nae^c®2,3
S
©

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 Trapiti#nal anp Innovative Tools for Learning

supports to try a new activity. Others are more feisty and

sometimes irritable. They tend to be impetuous, intense
A caring adult's perceptiv
in their emotional reactions, whether of anger or of joy.
Easygoing babies are typically friendly, happy, acceptinnew tune with individual tem
foods and caregivers without much fuss, and adapt fairly
will ease a child's ability to
quickly and more flexibly after experiencing distress or sud-
den change. Try to find out whether each baby in flourish
your care in the group settin
tends to be shy and slow to warm up or mostly feisty and
intense or easygoing. A caring adult's perceptive responses
in tune with individual temperament will ease a child's abil-
ity to adapt and flourish in the group setting. Shine admiring eyes at the children,
cooing as she lies in her crib, creeping
a toy she desires, or feeding herself ha
Aflkb Physical loving gers. Speak each child's name lovingly
if they are fussing, most babies will qu
and croon their names.
Your body is a safe haven for an infant.
f Indeed, some babies will stay happy as a babies do not understand the meanings of the
Although
clam when draped over a shoulder, words,
across they do understand tonal nuances and love when
your
your belly as you rock in a rocking chair, or, voice sounds admiring, enchanted with them, and
espe-
cially for a very young baby, snuggled in a slinghappy
or carrier
to be talking with them. While diapering, tell the
for hours. As Montagu (1971) taught decades ago, baby
babies
he is so delicious and you love his plump tummy and
the few
need body loving : "To be tender, loving, and caring, wispy hairs on that little head. Watch him thrust
human
beings must be tenderly loved and cared for in their
out hisearli-
legs in delight on the diapering table. Your tone of
est years voice entrances him into a deep sense of pleasure with his
As you carry them, some babies ownmight
body (Honig 2002). your neck,
pinch
lick your salty arm, pull at your hair, tug at eyeglasses, or
show you in other ways how powerfully important your
body is as a sacred and special playground. Teach gentle-
ness by calmly telling a baby you need your glasses on to
read a story. Use the word gently over and over and over.
Dance cheek-to-cheek with a young child in arms to slow
waltz music - good for dreary days! Also carry the baby
while you do a routine task such as walking to another
room to get something.
Provide lap and touch times generously to nourish a
child's sense of well-being. Slowly caress a baby's hair. Rub
a tense shoulder soothingly. Kiss one finger and watch as a
baby offers every other finger to kiss. Rock a child with your
arms wrapped around him for secure comfort. Babies learn
to become independent as we confirm and meet their depen-
dency needs in infancy. A sense of well-being and somatic
certainty flows from cherishing adults who generously hold,
caress, and drape babies on shoulders and tummies.

mtÉÉk Create intimate emotional

JHSraw connections
^ Scan the environment so you can be
close to every baby. Notice the quiet baby sit-
ting alone, mouthing a toy piece and rocking back and forth
'35
with vacant eyes. Notice shy bids for attention, such as a c
<U
C/D

brief smile with lowered lids. The child with an easy or cau-
ÛQ
C

tious temperament needs your5 loving attention as much as «

the one who impulsively climbs

© all over you for attention.

Young Children • September 201 0 41

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 Harmonizing tempos
Tempo is important in human activi-
™ f ties and is reflected in how abruptly or
smoothly adults carry out daily routines.
Because adults have so many tasks to do, some-
times we use impatient, too-quick motions, for example,
while dressing a baby to play outdoors. When dressing or
feeding, more leisurely actions are calming. They signal to
children that we have time for them. Rub backs slowly and
croon babies into soothing sleep.
A baby busily crawling across the rug sees a toy, grasps
it, then plops himself into a sitting position to examine
and try to pull it apart. He slowly looks back and forth at
the toy as he leisurely passes it from hand to hand. He has
no awareness that a teacher is about to interrupt because
she is in a hurry to get him dressed because his daddy
is coming to pick him up. Young children need time and
cheerful supports to finish up an activity in which they are
absorbed. If they are hurried, they may get frustrated and
even have a tantrum.
XJ
c
OJ
¿A
u

3
Enhance courage and cooperation 3
.2

Your presence can reassure a worried

™ ^ baby. Stay near and talk gently to help a
child overcome his fear of the small infant babies can be more flexible and helpful if you change some
chores into games. Through the use of sing-song chants,
slide. Pascal sits at the top, looking uncertain. Then
he checks your face for a go-ahead signal, for reassurance putting toys away becomes an adventure in finding the big
that he can bravely try to slide down this slide that looksfat blocks that need to be placed together on a shelf and
so long to him. Kneeling at the bottom of the slide, smilethen the skinny blocks that go together in a different place.
and tell him that you will be there to catch him when he is
ready to slide down.
Be available as a "refueling station" - Margaret Mahler's Address stress
felicitous term (Kaplan 1978). Sometimes a baby's indepen-
dent learning adventure comes crashing down - literally. Attachment research shows that babies who develop
Your body and your lap provide the emotional support secure emotional relationships with a teacher have had
from which a baby regains courage to tackle the learningtheir distress signals noticed, interpreted correctly, and
adventure again. responded to promptly and appropriately (Honig 2002).
Create loving rituals during daily routines of dressing, At morning arrival times, watch for separation anxiety.
bath times, nap times, feeding times. Babies like to knowSometimes holding and wordlessly commiserating with a
what will happen and when and where and how. Babies baby's sad feelings can help more than a frenzied attempt
have been known to refuse lunch when their familiar, com- to distract her (Klein, Kraft, & Shohet 2010). As you become
fortable routines were changed. At cleanup times, older more expert at interpreting a baby's body signals of dis-
tress and discomfort, you will become more sensitively
attuned in your responses (Honig 2010).
Young children need time and cheer-
Learn developmental milestones. Learning develop-
ful supports to finish up an activity in mental norms helps teachers figure out when to wonder,
which they are absorbed. If they are when to worry, and when to relish and feel overjoyed about
a child's milestone accomplishments. Day and night toilet
hurried, they may get frustrated and learning can be completed anywhere from 18 months to 5
even have a tantrum. years. This is a wide time window for development. In con-
trast, learning to pick up a piece of cereal from a high chair

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 Traditional and Innovative T##ls f ok Learning

Compulsive rocking can mean a baby feels forlorn. Watch

for lonesomeness and wilting.
Some babies melt down toward day's end. They need to
be held and snuggled. Murmur sweet reassurances and pro-
vide a small snack of strained applesauce to soothe baby's
taste buds and worries. Check his body from top to bot-
tom for signs of stresses or tensions, such as eyes avoid-
ing contact, teeth grinding, fingernail chewing, frequently
clenched fists, so that you can develop an effective plan for
soothing. Be alert, and tend to children's worrisome bodily
signs; these will tell you what you need to know long before
children have enough language to share what was stressful
(Honig 2009).

Play learning games

Parents and teachers

While playing learnin
their actions. Ask you
iar and easy that it is
ladder" (Honig 1982) a
Or perhaps the game
"dance down" and sim
succeed.
Provide safe mirrors at floor level and behind the diaper-
ing table so children can watch and learn about their own
bodies.
tray with just thumb and forefinger in a fine pincer graspHold
is babies in arms up to a mirror to reach out
usually completed during a narrow time window well before
and pat the face in the mirror. Lying on the floor in front of
13 months. By 11 months, most babies become expert at
a securely attached safety mirror, a young child twists and
using just the first two fingers. squirms to get an idea of where his body begins and ends.

Hone your detective skills. If a

baby is screaming and jerking knees
up to his belly, you might suspect a
painful gas bubble. Pick up the baby
and jiggle and thump his back until
you get that burp up. What a relief,
for you as well as baby. Maybe an
irritable, yowling baby just needs to
be tucked in quietly and smoothly for
a nap after an expert diaper change.
Suppose baby is crying and thrashing
about, and yet he has been burped
and diapered. Use all your detective
skills to determine the cause. Is it a

hot day? He might be thirsty. A drink

of water can help him calm down.

Notice stress signs. Scan a child's

body for stress signs. Dull eyes can
signal the need for more intimate lov-
ing interactions. Tense shoulders and
a grave look often mean that a child
is afraid or worried (Honig 2010).

Young Children • September 201 0 43

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 safe wooden block or chunky plastic cylinder peg.
After the baby passes it to you, say thank you,
then give the object back with a smile. Give-and-
take games with you are a sociable pleasure for
babies and teach them turn-taking skills that are
crucial for friendly social interchanges years later.
Seated on a chair, play a bouncing game, with
the baby's back resting snuggly against your
tummy. After you stop bouncing and chanting
"Giddyup, horsie," a baby often bounces on his
c

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or her tush as if to remind you to start this game
cri
c

E
over and over. An older baby vigorously demands
©
"More horsie!" to get you to restart this game.
Babies enjoy kinesthetic stimulation too, such as
Your body can serve as a comforting support for some when you swing them gently in a baby swing. A baby will
early learning activities. Sit an infant on your lap and watch grin with glee as you pull or push him in a wagon around
as he coordinates vision and grasp to reach and hold a toy the room or playground
you are dangling. Babies love "Peek-a-boo! I see you!" These
games nurture the development of object permanence - the
understanding that objects still exist even when they are Observe babies' ways of
out of sight. Peek a-boo games also symbolically teach that jHwk exploring and learning
even when a special adult is not seen, that dear person will
reappear. ip v Wk Observe a baby to learn what and how
she is learning, then adapt the activity to
Provide physical play experiences. Play pat-a-cake with offer greater challenge. Observation provides infor-
babies starting even before 6 months. As you gently holdmation
a that lets teachers determine when and how to
baby's hands and bring them out and then back together, arrange for the next step in a child's learning experience.
Watch quietly as a baby tries with determination to put the
chant slowly and joyously, "Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's
man; bake me a cake just as fast as you can. Pat it, andround
roll wood top piece for a ring stack set on the pole. His
it, and mark it with a B, and put it in the oven for [baby's
name] and me." Smile with joy as you guide the baby's hands
rhythmically and slowly through the game, and use a high-
pitched voice as you emphasize her name in the sing-song
chant. Over the next months, as soon as you begin chanting
the words, the baby will begin to bring hands to the midline
and do the hand motions that belong with this game. Babies
who are 9 to 1 1 months old will even start copying the hand-
rolling motions that belong with this game.
To encourage learning, try to arrange games with more
physical actions. Sit on the floor with your toes touching the
baby's toes, then model how to roll a ball back and forth.

Introduce sensory experiences. Safe sensory and tactile

experiences are ideal for this age group. As he shifts a toy
from hand to hand, turns it over, pokes, tastes, bangs, and
even chews on it, a baby uses his senses to learn about the
toy's physical properties. Teachers can blow bubbles so
babies can reach for and crawl after them. Provide play-
dough made with plenty of salt to discourage children from
putting it in their mouths. Older babies enjoy exploring
finger paints or nontoxic tempera paint and fat brushes.S
c

id
u

Play sociable games. Give something appealing to a 3

J

.¡s
seated baby. Put out your hand, smile, and say "Give it to
3

me, please." The baby may chew on the "gift," such as a3

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 Trapiti^nal anp Innovative T>#ls for Learning

eyes widen in startled amazement as he gradually realizes

that when the hole does not go through the middle, then Ma
that piece will not go down over the pole - a frustrating but
important lesson. Calmly, a teacher can demonstrate how th
to place the piece on top of the pole while using simple su
words to describe how this piece is different. She can also
gently guide the baby's hands so he feels successful at plac- ing
ing the piece on top.

Talk
Jgk Enhance language and literacy in
everyday routines nity
M Dail
f Tal
you
respon tim
positiv as e
"What enc
The enc
dia
young gra
drawn- Cud
talk boo
fir
baby le
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respond boo
partner read
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Talk ab
ofte
and th
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ten
abso

JM
Ch
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of
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Mas
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You
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to s
feel
ano

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a few of the pieces so a baby could succeed in getting the
puppy's tail and head pieces in the right spaces. If a baby
has been struggling with a slippery nesting cup for a while,
just steady the stack of cups so he can successfully insert a
smaller cup into the next largest one.

Promote socioemotional skills

Babies learn empathy and friendliness

from those who nurture them. Empathy
involves recognizing and feeling the dis-
tress of another and trying to help in some way. A
young baby who sees another baby crying may look wor-
ried and suck his thumb to comfort himself. Fifteen-month-

old Michael tussles over a toy with Paul, who starts to cry.
Michael looks worried and lets go of the toy so Paul has
it. As Paul keeps crying, Michael gives him his own teddy
bear. But Paul continues crying. Michael pauses, then runs
to the next room and gets Paul's security blanket for him.
And Paul stops crying (Blum 1987).
S
Friendliness includes making accommodations so chil- c
£
dren can play together. For example, move a child over to u

3
make room for a peer, or make overtures to invite other .2
3
babies to engage in peer play. Perhaps they could take ©

turns toddling in and out of a cardboard house. Babies act

friendly when they sit near each other and companionably
into this the way she does, almost like she is setting a beauti-
play with toys, happy to be close together. McMullen and
ful table for honored guests each and every morning. (McMul-
colleagues (2009) observed that positive social-emotional len et al. 2009, p. 27)
interactions were rare in some infant rooms. But when

teachers showed deeply respectful caregiving, then they

observed that babies did develop early empathy and inter-
Conclusion
nalize the friendly interactions they had experienced. One
teacher is described below: Later in life
Her wonderful gentle manner, the way she speaks to the innumerable
babies, how they are all her friends . . . only someone who However, a
will
utterly respects and values babies could put that kind of effort remain
ing been lov
relationship
Keep your o
of babyhood
mysterious w
peers to snu
sonal satisfa
for tiny one

When te
ful careg
'35
babies di
c
D
Vi

QQ
internali
c
jU
S had expe
©

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 Traditional anp Innovative T«#ls for Learning

Kaplan,
new accomplishment, watching the entranced look of anL. 1978. Oneness and separateness: From infant to individual.
New York: Simon & Schuster.
upturned face as you tell a story, feeling the trust as a baby
Klein, P.S., R.R. Kraft, & C. Shohet. 2010. Behavior patterns in daily
sleepily settles onto your lap for refreshment of spirit, for aseparations: Possible opportunités for stress reduction.
mother-child
breath of the loving comfort that emanates from Early
yourChild
body.Development and Care 180: 387-96.
McMullen, M.B., J.M. Addleman, A.M. Fulford, S. Moore, S.J. Mooney, S.S.
Life has grown more complicated in our technological,
Sisk, & J. Zachariah. 2009. Learning to be me while coming to understand
economically difficult, and more and more urbanized world.
we. Encouraging prosocial babies in group settings. Young Children 64 (4):
But you, the teacher, remain each baby's priceless tour
20-28. www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200907/McMullenWeb709.pdf
guide into the world of "growing up!" You gently take each
Montagu, A. 1971. Touching: The human significance of the skin. New
York:- Harper
little person by the hand - literally and figuratively and & Row.
lure each and every baby into feeling the wonder and the
Copyright © 2010 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
somatic certainty of being loved, lovable, and cherished
See Permissionsso
and Reprints online at www.naeyc.org/yc/permissions.
that each baby can fully participate in
the adventure of growing, loving, and
learning.
Your nurturing strengthens a baby's
determination to keep on learning,
keep on cooperating, keep on being
friendly, and keep on growing into a
loving person - first in the world of
the nursery and later in the wider
world. You can give no greater gift to a
child than to be the best guide pos-
sible as each child begins his or her
unique life journey.

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Young Children* September 2010

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