As new parents are quick to find out, there's no instruction manual for how to raise a child.
From learning how to feed a newborn to teaching a youngster to ride a bike to helping a teenager prepare to leave home, there is always someone new for parents to discover. Each moment presents a new challenge and some of those challenges are more complicated that others.
One of the first things a newborn needs is a safe, secure environment what a strong attachment to a caregiver. According to experts in the budding field of infant mental health, providing those conditions give young children the best chance to develop healthy relationships of their own down the road.
For some parents, fostering those conditions is natural, but for others it's not always the case. That's where professionals - family doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors, therapists and others - can step in and provide guidance.
"You're trying to create the opportunity for the parent to fall in love with their baby," therapist Dawn Sather said.
Psychiatrist Dr. Rachel Boulding said the caregiver and baby need to learn how to read each other and follow each other's steps. For a parent that includes questioning why their baby is acting the way they do - from why their making certain noises to why they're moving in a specific way.
"The mom and the baby have to learn how to do this little dance together," she said. "They both have to figure each other out, it's a mutual thing."
Family physicians are often a good first point of contact for a caregiver seeking help in developing a strong mental health environment for their child. The doctor can then help direct the person to the right person or community agency for follow up care.
In some cases the infant mental health treatment includes providing adult mental health support for the caregiver.
Prince George is home to a multidisciplinary team of professionals who meet monthly and are able to consult with each other on cases to ensure parent and child are getting the appropriate care from the right source.
"There's a peer review, where the person who is working with the caregiver and the little one can bring the case forward, with permission and consent, and share the challenges and get input from the team," Intersect Youth and Family Services clinical director Deborah Pawar said. "It can give the family different dance to try."
Cases which get referred to professionals often have underlying issues attached - such as addiction issues for the parents, poverty concerns for the family of developmental delays for the child.
In the past, Boulding said getting a referral when a child was five years old was still considered early, but now clinicians are hoping to see children and their caregivers even sooner. The extra-early intervention has shown to have better results for parent and child alike.
In addition to providing more clinical support for at-risk families, advocates are also calling for additional funds to be directed at daycare so that it can be accessed universally rather than being limited to those who can afford it.
Having consistent, professional childcare options available for all parents is another way children are able to develop those stable relationships at a young age which is one of the precursor for strong relationship skills later in life.
"The people who need safe, quality daycare the most are usually the people leaving their babies with the neighbour, who may or may not be suspect," Boulding said. "The parents that need the most support, don't get it because access requires a lot of skill, education and a high socioeconomic status."
