Development of professional competencies is a key outcome of undergraduate programs preparing practitioners to work with infants and toddlers. Competencies for working with young children were examined among 1300 undergraduate students at 12 universities. Students completed a series of online questionnaires indicating their knowledge, beliefs, and…

Using a grounded theory approach, this study explores the ways a diverse group of pre-service student caregivers, new to teaching and caring for infants, come to understand notions of 'love' during an infant practicum course in the United States. Through analysing weekly dialogue journals and course assignments produced by each of the 8…

This research addresses caregivers and infants in the infant class in the day-care centre. It focuses on an intervention programme with the goal of getting to know the attitudes of caregivers and examining their influence on infants. In the programme, the caregivers will be given the possibility of sharing with peers and of learning contemporary…

Caring for infants is a significant cultural activity, yet the subjective nature of this work has received little attention in socioculturally informed infant pedagogies. This article presents an alternative way of conceptualising the subjective and affective nature of infant care, and critiques the "downward" sociological focus applied…

Evidence indicates that the nature of adult-infant attachments will impact on the quality of care the infant receives, although findings are often couched in outcomes for children rather than adult concerns. In this article, the argument is made that the adult's experience of caregiving is also an important area for investigation.…

Caregivers' warm, sensitive, and attentive interactions with their children have been widely considered key indicators of infant-caregiver interaction quality in childcare contexts. The primary purpose of this study was to explore infant's daily experiences and the characteristics of relationship-based supportive care practices in a childcare…

Infants are born primed to develop attachment relationships. However, when infants are hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit at birth, the stress and trauma associated with the highly specialized medical environment can threaten the development of a nurturing and secure caregiving relationship. Infant mental health is an evidence-based…

Increasingly, researchers are trying to understand what daily life is like for infants in non-parental care from the perspectives of the infants themselves. In this article, we argue that it is profoundly difficult, if not impossible, to know how infants experience their worlds with any certainty and, indeed, whether they do or do not possess…

This single case study was undertaken to explore how an infant head teacher meets the needs of the infants, who express their desire to be cared for, in their caring encounters. Natural daily interactions between infants and the teacher were observed for approximately 10 weeks. Through the qualitative data analysis, the results of this study…

Young babies are easily overwhelmed by the pain of hunger or gas. However, when an infant's day is filled with caregiving experiences characterized by quick responses to his cries and accurate interpretations of the meaning of his communication, the baby learns that he can count on being fed and comforted. He begins to develop trust in his teacher…

The authors discuss three steps to helping babies with transitions: observe, ask, and respond (OAR). They advise teachers about how to ask a family questions about their baby and how to give the family suggestions to alleviate the baby's stress, without offending family members. This column includes a list of recommended resources. (Contains 7…

The author explores the extent to which infants and toddlers are regularly in the care of nonparental relatives, friends, and neighbors and notes the limited research on the quality of care provided by family, friends, and neighbors. (Note: This article is an excerpt from "Who's Watching the Babies?: Improving the Quality of Family, Friend, and…

Research in the area of infant development has endless facets of investigation. No one facet of research is more important than another, and all of the findings work in a synchronous fashion to facilitate our understanding of child development. Research on child development has proliferated across the centuries. Infant characteristics like…

Using Simple strategies, caregivers can learn to effectively communicate with infants through touch. This article offers suggestions and techniques for calming squirming babies of all types and ages who seem to be unable to find a comfortable position while being held. She begins by suggesting that care givers of very small babies be patient and…

Discusses how providing developmentally appropriate choices to toddlers can prevent conflicts during caregiving tasks and daily routines in child care settings. Emphasizes maintaining a balance between children's needs and adult issues of time and space. Notes the importance of examining one's feelings and values to increase awareness of one's…