Letter from your baby

Transcript

To the most important people in my world,

We're at the start of an amazing journey, and the time we put in now will pay off for the rest of the trip. Along the way, I'll need lots of different experiences to help my brain and body grow.

When you gently rock or dance with me, I learn about touch, my body, and movement.
When you talk, sing, and read to me, I'm comforted by your voice, and I'll learn about sounds, rhythm, and language. I can't talk yet, so as I grow, please keep trying to see the world through my eyes. I'll do my best to tell you what I need and how I feel with my body and face. If I turn away, it might mean I need a break or sleep. I'm not rejecting you.
I'm going to achieve a lot of fast on this journey, and you want to take photos. But please put your phone away after because I love to see your face.

I love it when you're interested in exploring my world with me. When I'm in danger, I need you to protect me. I learn a lot through playing, and as I get older, our play can get bigger. Keep watching me so you know when I've had enough. If I cry, I might be uncomfortable, hurt, afraid, or not sure how to deal with my big feelings. I'm never upset with you or trying to make you angry. Try to stay calm and comfort me, even when that's hard for you. Sometimes it might help to distract me, but mostly it helps to just hold me so I feel someone understands. Over time, I'll get better at calming myself, but I need to know I can always come back to you and feel safe again. That's how I'll get confident exploring and learning.

My daily routine doesn't need to be really strict. I can't read a watch yet. It's just nice if the same kind of things happen around the same time each day. Sometimes you might feel like things are getting on top of you, but there's lots of support out there. Try not to worry if all the different advice is confusing. It's going to take time and patience to work out what's best for us, but I know we can get through it together. Before you know it, I won't be little anymore, so slow down with me, make time and space for us. We've got this.

Love, your baby.