The Open University Y156

Why are families so important for Babies?
1
  * Families are important to babies as they can provide the consistent day to day care a baby needs.
  * Families can provide the ‘close relationships’ or ‘attachments’ that a baby needs.
  * Families can play an important role in encouraging and influencing a baby’s character and personality.
  * It is not only families that are important; other people such as childminders who have frequent contact can also be important.
  * some babies may not have the opportunity to form a close relationship with a member of their own family and in these circumstances other people could be just as important.
2
  * Families are important to babies as they can provide the consistent day to day care a baby needs.
  * Rai and Flynn (2004, p.43) state that children can put up with even     ‘neglect – as long as their care giver is predictable and consistent.’
  * Rai and Flynn (2004, p.49) state that ‘minimum that a baby needs in order to form a secure relationship is to have a person reliably and consistently there to meet their needs.
  * Rai and Flynn (2004, Section 2.2) discuss how important it is to respond to a baby’s needs. They refer to this as ‘attentive behaviour’ and state that ‘inattentive   behaviour can be damaging to a baby’.
  * Families can provide the ‘close relationships’ or ‘attachments’ that a baby needs.
  * Rai and Flynn (2004, p.41) state that ‘babies and young children, relationships begin with the personal kind and are usually with members of their family.’ and ‘the quality of them is important for children’s future emotional wellbeing’.
  *   Rai and Flynn (2004, Section 2.1 The value of close relationships), discuss and refer to research carried out by child psychologists exploring the ‘quality of attachment relationships in young children.’ It states that ‘secure relationships may be universally needed by babies.’
  * The Understanding children (2007) DVD, The Open University,...