Karleen has explained how many carers are confusing and do not
enhance good emotional development.
The baby we are talking about may be fine, and these visiting ladies
may be loving and caring, but generally speaking, young infants are
simply not able to relate to 20 different, revolving carers - this
is very different from the experience of lucky babies with adoring
grannies and aunties sharing the care and supporting the mother while
she breastfeeds day and night in the early weeks and months.
We know what happens when babies are cared for by far more people
than they can relate to - they switch off, emotionally. If the
carers are gentle, tactile and smiling, then it's obviously better
than them being distant and unkind, but it doesn't really make it
into a 'good thing'.
This is why not one of us here, if we had to seek child care for our
own infants, would choose a nursery where staff looking after the
babies changed six times a day; if the carers came to our house,
from a nanny agency, wouldn't we be taking our business elsewhere,
and pretty quickly, if there was a different person every time the
doorbell rang?
The direct experience of breastfeeding is important (and I'm someone
who really dislikes the creeping approval of 'breastmilk feeding') ,
but its impact is reduced if a baby is overwhelmed by too many carers.
Jeanette reproves me for making assumptions that the only way to care
for infants is US/Western way ....but that is the polar *opposite*
of what I am saying! I am making a *universal* point about what
science tells us about infant needs, which are, actually, *not* met
often enough in our culture . Our culture sadly, tends to tell
parents that responding to normal infant needs is indulgent :(
Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc, tutor, UK
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