Pedagogy

Holding and Touching
Holding the infants close to the body of the mother or caregiver is desirable, often up
to 8 hours a day. Holding and touching gives the infants a sense of  security. The
infants who are placed in cradles or high chairs feel deprived and will lack the
emotional bond.

Sleeping arrangements
Mother and infant should sleep together .This helps in better communication between
the mother and the infant. This creates a healthy rhythm of emotional bond between
the mother and the infant. Infants should be allowed long hours of sleep during day
and the sleep pattern gradually changes as the infant grows to lesser number of hours
of sleep.

Feeding Infants
Breast feeding infants as many times as 10 to 15 times, with an average of one and a
half  hours intervals between the feedings in 24 hours, during the first three months of
infancy. In case the mother has difficulty in having sufficient milk for the infant, a
nurse  may be allowed to feed the infant. Alternative food supplements suitable to the
region in which the infant is brought up, may be given in cases where the mother has
no possibilities of feeding the infant.

Response to crying
When an infant between 3 months and 10 months cries, the mother or care should
respond by touching and soothing the infant , at the same time verbally
communicating and looking at the infant with love. Carrying the infant , rocking  or
voice stimulation combined together or each one performed separately will reduce the
bouts of the infants crying. Responding within a few seconds helps reduce the
duration of crying.

Holding and touching are the  emotional bonding between the mother  and child. An
infant is not a doll to be left all alone in a cradle or a high chair. Infancy is the critical
stage that serves as a foundation to the physical and psychological developments  of
the future child.

Sleeping arrangements and Breast feeding during infancy helps the mother
develop the emotional communication with infant during its feeding. Sleeping close to
the mother provides the maternal touch to the growth of the child. The number of
hours an infant sleeps is the determining factor in the growth of the child. The SID
syndrome shows that,  parents discouraging the day time sleep of an infant should
think twice before resorting to making  changes in the sleep arrangements for an
infant. The natural sleep patterns of an infant are designed to stimulate a healthy
growth rate.

The mothers or care givers response time to a crying infant plays a vital role
in the infants personality development. When there is a reasonably quick soothing
response from the mother, it is reassuring to the infant . If the mother tries to delay the
response, a sense of insecurity and deprivation may creep into the infants mind,
which grows with time and may make  the child feel no one cares for me attitude
thus reducing the confidence levels. I care for you attitude is the best way  to follow
in every step towards the care of an infant, especially by the mother  or caretaker in
the absence of the mother.