Abu Dhabi: One of the best opportunities to bond with one’s newborn occurs in the first few minutes after delivery, when oxytocin, the cuddling hormone, floods the brain of new parents, childcare experts said in the capital today (February 24).
How well the parents bond in these few crucial moments could not only set the tone for the parent-child relationship but also determine how the baby goes on to form and nurture relationships with other people.
“The development of a child begins as soon as he is born, and it starts as early as the first few minutes of delivery. Parents should not underestimate the value of the first few minutes, and they should know that the child has already begun to hear language, feel and learn,” Dr Walter Gilliam, a childcare expert at the US-based Yale University, told Gulf News.
Gilliam is the director at the Edward Zigler Centre for Child Development and Social Policy at Yale, and he was speaking at a press conference held to introduce participants to the second phase of the Shamsa Bint Mohammad Al Nahyan Fellowship.
The importance of parent-child bonding was one of the key messages gleaned by the 10 women who have been chosen for the two-year fellowship, which is offered by philanthropic organisation, Salama Bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation. The fellowship itself aims to create greater awareness about early childhood development by selecting and educating individuals who have demonstrated an interest in the field.
“A one-day-old child is in need of constant communication, and both the mother and father must begin to strengthen the family dynamic even at this stage. During the fellowship, I have learnt that the absence of such bonding can actually contribute to children developing psychological and behavioural problems,” said Amal Al Jaberi, an Emirati paediatrician who is participating in the programme.
This year’s fellows include doctors, teachers, and researchers, and they have already had a chance to visit childhood development centres in the United States. They are now working to develop a programme that will combine their expertise and skills in the field while creating awareness about the topic among UAE residents.
They also stressed the need to promote childhood play, which directly presents children with key learning opportunities.
“Play is one of the best ways to promote early childhood learning, as these activities facilitate the development of key cognitive skills, teach relationship building and problem solving, and also promote collaborative working abilities. Unfortunately, many parents still mistakenly believe that play is not learning, and this is a myth we need to dispel,” said Sharifa Yateem, an Emirati consultant specialist with an interest in autism.
