Mental health is important no matter what age you are, which is why it’s important for parents to be aware of their infant’s mental health. Early interactions with our environment and those in it greatly shape our emotional well-being, including our ability to process and express emotions in addition to forming and maintaining relationships with others. It’s important that parents and caregivers are aware and attentive to a young child’s mental health and work towards creating a stable environment that is most conducive to their health emotional development. Keep reading to discover the signs caregivers should watch out for and what they can do to ensure their infant or young child’s mental health.

What Is Infant Mental Health (& Why Does It Matter)?

Infant mental health encapsulates the mental health of children from 0 to 3 years old and is also referred to as early childhood mental health. Young children, even newborns, learn how to express their emotions from their caregivers, making it important that they’re taught to manage their feelings in a healthy way. As such, the relationship parents and other caregivers have to the child plays an important role in shaping their mental health in early childhood, which will have ramifications later in life.

Our mental health is not only shaped by our physiological make-up or genetic history. Rather, this alongside our environment greatly impacts a person’s emotional well-being, both in the now and into the future. “The potential of each child is realized through the interaction of genes and the environment. It is not either nature or nurture, but nature × nurture,” a study published in Paediatr Child Health in 2016 explained. “The genes wait and listen to the environment, whether in the home or in childcare. Each child’s environment and experiences define the world and, consequently, ‘customize’ their brain.”

Signs A Child & Caregiver Have A Secure Attachment

Young children become the most attached to their closest caregivers, such as their parents, grandparents, or even a babysitter, in some cases. As such, the emotional bond between a young child and their caregiver is often referred to as an ‘attachment relationship,’ where the caregiver is the attachment figure.

According to Kelty Mental Health, there are various signs that can indicate when a child has formed a strong attachment relationship with a caregiver. These include:

  • They go to their caregiver when hurt, sad, etc.
  • Excited to see the caregiver after periods of separation
  • Expresses affection towards the caregiver
  • Interacts with caregiver when out of the house (ie. through eye contact)

Identifying If A  Child Is At Risk For Mental Health Problems

It’s impossible to say with certainty that a child will have mental health problems in the future, but there are certain signs that can indicate if they’re more at risk. Specifically, if a child is exposed to a highly stressful or volatile environment when young, it can have adverse effects in the future. “If those early relationships are highly stressful – through absence, poverty, unpredictability or violence – neuronal pathways more attuned to reactivity are forged,” the study published in Paediatr Child Health further explains. “This puts children at greater risk for challenges in life, including school failure and social difficulties.”

The authors continued, “The Adverse Childhood Experiences study shows that traumatic or abusive events in childhood are associated with depression, cardiovascular disease, cancer, alcoholism and drug abuse in adult life, as well as encounters with the justice/legal system, and risk-taking behaviours later in adolescence and adulthood.”

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Some risk factors are directly dependent on the child’s parents or caregivers. For instance, if a parent was abused in childhood or is in an abusive situation currently, has substance abuse or other dependency problems, or has their own history of mental health challenges, it increases the likelihood their offspring will face mental health challenges. Similarly, other risk factors include if the parents are teenagers, lack support, have a history of relationship problems, or had a traumatizing pregnancy or birth experience, Kelty Mental Health adds.

There are some direct signs parents can look for in young children that can also indicate future issues with mental health. The publication explains that if a child has problems sleeping or feeding, or even more, if they are over or under responsive to things in their environment, it may signal future challenges. Moreover, if there is a poor attachment or bond between the child and their caregiver, it may also indicate problems.

Ways To Improve Infant Mental Health

It’s best to get help early. Although many mental health problems may not appear until later in life, early intervention is the best and holds the potential to have the most effective results, as infant development is directly impacted by the environment. As such, parents and caregivers can improve a situation in order to prioritize the young child’s mental health in the following ways.

Parental Education. The more parents and caregivers are education about the importance of infant mental health, and how they can stand to improve it, the better the outcome will be. As Kelty Mental Health explains, being educated in this subject will help caregivers identify the correlated signs in children and how to properly respond. Parents can access a wide variety of resources online, or if they have the resources, they can seek professional help, such as through a counsellor or social worker.

Improve Caregiver-Child Attachment. By now, it should be apparent how crucial the relationship is between a caregiver and a young child. As such, one of the best ways to promote infant mental health is to encourage a strong attachment bond between the parental and child. There are a variety of ways of promoting a good attachment, including: meeting the child’s basic needs, giving the child attention and affection, and taking care of the parent’s mental health. If your own mental health is not addressed, it will be difficult to focus on the mental health of someone else, even a child.

Practice Makes Perfect. Simply learning the skills isn’t enough. Parents and caregivers also have to practice them in order to train themselves in these new skills. Various tools can help encourage attachment between the child and caregiver as well as positive parenting, in general. A change in the parents’ behaviour must precede changes in the child. It may be easiest to work with a professional who can help parents identify what still needs to be worked on and what they’re doing right.

Professionals In The Home. Some families may find it helpful to have regular home visits from a mental health professional, such as a social worker or therapist, who can help the family implement new practices. They can also introduce the family to a variety of resources, particularly if there are issues such as substance abuse, financial difficulties, or a poor housing situation. Working with a professional can also help keep a family motivated and less alone in the arduous process.

When To Consult A Doctor Or Professional

There’s a lot that parents can do on their own to promote infant mental health, especially if they take advantage of the wide variety of resources online. With that being said, however, there are certain situations in which it is best to consult a professional or doctor. They will be able to directly point out the signs and identify the best practices to improve the situation while also providing access to a variety of resources parents may have trouble finding otherwise. If your infant or child exhibits any of the following signs, it may be best to consult a doctor, Kelty Mental Health explains:

  • The baby doesn’t want to be held
  • Trouble with eating or sleeping
  • A lack of eye contact
  • Upset for unusually long periods of time
  • Nothing calms the baby down
  • Poor language development skills for their age
  • Forgetting skills they used to have
  • Poor interaction with others

It’s not possible to prevent all mental health problems, and sometimes, even if a child has a good attachment relationship with their parents or other caregivers, it doesn’t mean they won’t struggle later on in life. However, learning from your child’s cues and taking the proper steps to ensure their mental health has the most potential to set them up for success in life. Remember, mental health is important, no matter how old a person is.

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Source: U.S. National Library of Medicine, Kelty Mental Health, IMH Promotion,