This subject comes up over and over again when I talk to moms. There is always, always, always someone out there prepared to say that your way of taking care of your kids is the wrong way. But the science doesn’t support all the nitpicking.
The MOST important thing babies get from us, their parents is… are you ready? PLAY. Breastmilk, no breastmilk, sleep training, co-sleeping, etc? No. It’s PLAY.
The Parent’s Journal interviewed professor Ross Thompson on infant brain development. He talks extensively about how babies brains respond when we play, read, and talk to our infants.
In another segment on the mother child bond, The Parents’ Journal interviewed Naomi Stadlen. She talks about how much time we spend with our babies and her advice on the most important thing you can do? Spend time with other moms. She says the most important tool in your toolbox is perspective.
I’m not saying that all the choices we make as parents aren’t important and that we shouldn’t give them a lot of thought, but we all struggle to reconcile all the advice we get, particularly since it’s often contradictory. So let’s hold onto this: Play and Perspective. Those are our best tools.
