Supporting information for use with Ready to Relate cards

Supporting information for use with cards

These cards can be used in many ways. You can discuss the pictures with the parents and talk about the ways babies relate and respond. You can enjoy sharing the importance of understanding and responding to baby.

When using the cards think about:

• The pregnant woman and her partner/ significant others.
• Their experiences of being parented.
• The transition to being a parent.
• How to build a relationship between parents and their baby.

Use the cards in a non-prescriptive way.  For example, if you notice a positive moment between a mum, or dad, and baby looking into each other’s eyes in a moment of connection, use the ‘mutual gaze’ card to illustrate the importance of this simple interaction which the parent may not have even noticed.  This will enhance positive interactions, self-esteem and self-efficacy as it builds on something a parent is doing well.

You could, for example, say: “I noticed you and your baby looking at each other like this… (show card) “you may have not even noticed.  I’d like to let you know just how important this is for your baby (and you), as it actually builds connections in your baby’s brain.”

You can then turn to the ‘brain’ section and show the ‘synapses’ card. You could, for example, say: “Your baby’s brain is connecting up at 2 million synapses a second when you are simple taking a moment to look into each other’s eyes.”  You can then chat about how this is giving their baby positive experiences which will help shape his/her future wellbeing.

The ‘cues’ section can be used by showing a selection of the cards for discussion – i.e.:

How do you think your baby is feeling?
Why/what tells us that from looking at his/her face and body?
Is this a pleasurable feeling?
What could we do to/with your baby? (i.e. cuddle, play, feed, simple interactions) – this helps mind mindedness.
You could then move on to:
What is your baby telling you?
How is your baby feeling?

Supporting material for use with cards

The Parent-Infant Relationship resource Cards are a highly visual tool designed to facilitate understanding of the parent-infant relationship for practitioners and parents. The cards include information on neurodevelopment, building a relationship with your baby in pregnancy, infant cues and appropriate responses, and key concepts of the parent-infant relationship development. Find out more…