Ways to Foster Mental Well-being for Infants

• Provide comfort. Give a sense of safety and calm to the child when they cry or seem distressed.
• Music. Sing lullabies or a favorite song while rocking your child back and forth.
• Comforting physical touch. Give gentle messages to their feet, hands or back.
• Snuggle up. Wrap them in their favorite blanket or give them a stuffed animal.
• Explore. Encourage infants to explore items in different ways through sensory play. This can be done by touching, tasting, banging, stacking and shaking.
• Have conversations. Repeat the sounds and words your child uses and have back-and-forth conversations. It doesn't have to make sense, just allow your child to be heard and responded to! Don't forget to use expression and laughter, too.
• Name their feelings. You are happy, sad, excited, sleepy, etc.
• Playtime. Clap their hands gently together, stretch their arms (crossbody, overhead, out wide), move their legs as if they are riding on a bicycle, sensory motor play (water, sand, paint), tummy time.
• Visual stimulation. Encourage visual exploration, provide opportunities to watch other children and people.
• Audio stimulation. Shake rattles or noise making toys, face-to-face time, bath-time, sing songs together.
• Interact. Use eye contact, smile often, listen and respond to infant’s babbles and coos. Repeat the sounds and words your child uses and have back-and-forth conversations. It doesn't have to make sense, just allow your child to be heard and responded to! Don't forget to use expression and laughter, too.
• Read books. The more stories you read aloud, the more words your child will be exposed to and the better he or she will be able to talk.
• Play games together. They can be as simple as peek-a-boo or using their favorite toy. If using a toy that you can make noise with, make a pattern with the sounds, take a pause and repeat the pattern.