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Chapter 10 Social-Emotional Development in the First Year 291
becomes fussy and diffi cult. On the other hand,
when adults are relaxed and the newborn’s needs
are promptly met, he or she is more often quiet
and cooperative.
Sometimes there is a goodness of fi t between a
parent’s personality and a child’s temperament.
This means that the child’s temperament matches
the parent’s ideal. Sometimes the fi t is not so good.
Adults who have good relationships with babies
seem to respect their temperaments regardless of fi t.
Two nationally-known infant educators, Alice
Sterling Honig and Magda Gerber, have taught the
need to respect each baby’s individual temperament
and interests. For example, active babies often get
into places they do not belong. They require more
watching than less active children. These parents
need to adjust their own behaviors to provide this
extra level of care.
Optimal Infant Care Practices
Knowledge of optimal infant care practices has
grown out of attachment studies. Two major researchers
and teachers of infant care practices were Magda
Gerber and Alice S. Honig.
Gerber advised parents to slow down, avoid
exhaustion, and get to know the baby. She encouraged
parents to provide a safe, challenging, and nurturing
environment. Within this environment babies become
independent by being active participants in routine
care, exploring their environments, and having time
to play alone. Gerber believed parents should give
babies their full attention part of the time rather than
half-attention all of the time. Her major point was for
parents to live with babies in the moment—“to try
less and enjoy it more.”
Honig called for close observation of infants in
order to provide needed nurturing. Her ideas included
• sending emotional signals (admiring eyes,
crooning baby’s name, loving tone of voice)
so babies know they are cherished
• watching for signs of stress and providing
nurturance through holding, staying nearby,
and talking quietly
• creating loving, leisurely rituals for care
• knowing milestones and windows of
opportunity and then “dancing up and down
the developmental ladder” to provide the
ability-activity match for babies
• helping babies rejoice in their mastery of
skills
Honig emphasized these loving actions would
become part of “body-memory” and nurture a baby’s
life journey toward positive relationships. Based
on these guidelines, how do you think parents and
caregivers can balance maintaining their own health
with optimizing the health of their infant? What
strategies would you suggest to a parent who is
struggling with his or her health and is thus unable to
promote an infant’s health?
Health
Figure 10.11 Newborns are attuned to their caregivers’
feelings and behaviors and may react to expressions of
love and expressions of frustration or stress. How can
a caregiver avoid upsetting his or her baby when
frustrated?