KEYRING cards have been produced to help parents in Bradford bond with their babies.

Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust has developed the Ready to Relate cards to support strong parent-infant relationships, and to ensure babies and infants develop physically and mentally. The pictorial cards are on a keyring and have information on the back which can be used as a prompt for health professionals or early years practitioners to discuss key issues with parents.

The cards include sections on pregnancy; parenting and family relationships; neuro-development; building a relationship with your baby; and infant cues and responses.

“The first two years of a child’s life is a critical time for social, emotional and brain development and a crucial time for parents to connect with their children. During this time babies’ brains are shaped by their experiences and environment, particularly the interactions they have with their parents,” said a Trust spokesman.

“Healthy brain development depends upon babies having secure, responsive relationships with their parents. If babies don’t have this, it impacts on their emotional wellbeing, academic achievement, and in some instances physical and mental ill-health throughout their lives.

“Positive experiences in the first months of life promote healthy brain development, stronger bonds and positive relationships, deepening parent-infant bonding. Studies have shown that babies are innately attuned to the facial expressions of their parents and use facial expressions, body language and vocalisation to communicate. The responsiveness of the parent is crucial to the baby’s development of trust.

“When a baby attempts to communicate, including crying, and is ignored, they may become confused, frustrated and distressed. When this happens continuously, babies lose trust and may stop expressing their needs in an open and healthy manner.”

The cards are designed to be used in several ways, by both parents and health professionals, who can discuss the pictures with parents and talk about the ways babies relate and respond. The pioneering resource aims to improve the parent‐infant relationship and promote infant attachment and optimal infant development, by helping to develop parents’ understanding of their infant and how they respond to interaction.

Parents can strengthen the relationship bond by paying attention to their own expressions and reactions, while observing and responding to their baby’s cues. The cards are aimed at helping parents know how their baby is feeling, what they can tell from looking at their face and the benefits of cuddle, play, feeding and simple interactions.

In a pilot study of health visitors and nursery nurses, 95 per cent of respondents were positive about the cards, claiming they encouraged positive parenting and interaction. A mother of a two-week-old baby said: “I have been talking to my baby and looking into her eyes much more because the health visitor showed me the cards. My baby and I are very close because of this.”

A mum of a six-week-old baby added: “I didn’t know a little baby was able to communicate so much. I wish I’d known this with my first child.”

* Visit bdct.nhs.uk/readytorelate