As part of Sunbeam’s ongoing commitment to supporting the healthy development of our community’s youngest children, their families and caregivers, October 16-20 we will Celebrate Babies to raise awareness about the importance of relationships in the earliest years. Each year, the Oklahoma Association for Infant Mental Health (OK-AIMH) joins associations around the world to dedicate one week in October to celebrate babies, toddlers, young children, their families and the professionals who support them.

An infant’s earliest relationships have a profound impact on their overall health, development and well-being. The ways in which important adults nurture and connect with infants and young children matters. Meeting their emotional needs is just as important as meeting physical needs and prepares them for school and life readiness.    

Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) is the developing capacity of infants, toddlers and young children, birth to age five years, to form close and secure relationships; experience, regulate and express their emotions and explore the environment and learn-all in the context of family, community and cultural expectations for young children.   

 
Caregivers may include birth parents, foster parents, grandparents and other relatives, child care and education providers. 10-16 percent of young children experience mental health conditions, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PPTSD) and anxiety. That number increases to 22% for children living in poverty. Relationships with caregivers can buffer the impact of early adversity. 90 percent of all neural connections are developed by age 6. The experiences of infants and young children, positive and negative, have a lasting impact on health, development and well-being into adulthood. If warning signs arise, interventions now can have a greater impact than those provided later-the earlier the better.

One way the community can join in the celebration is to post a photo or video of babies or toddlers with caregivers in their lives that emphasize connections with the hashtag #CelebrateBabies2023. Examples of connections include a parent posting cuddle time with a child, grandparents holding their grandchildren or a partner rolling a ball with his or her toddler.