Episode 23-Active Parenting

Newborns already have what it takes to participate in the unfolding relationship between them and their caregivers. Their ears are listening to voices and lullabies around them, their eyes are watching and reading facial expressions, their skin can feel caregivers’ warm embrace and touch, and their nose can smell their mother's breast milk. It can differentiate caregivers' smells from others', and their taste buds can tell sweet from sour. Parents can actively engage them through any of these sensory portals while encouraging the newborn to participate in the back-and-forth mutual engagement.

Active parenting practices are the fuel that spurs the budding newborn's brain to flourish and its neurons to interconnect in different brain areas that would promote healthy social-emotional development, including happiness and empathy, as well as areas of the brain that would support learning, language, speech acquisition, and cognitive development.