It’s mental health awareness week – how your app will help you support your child’s mental health and wellbeing

We know the foundations for good mental and physical health are laid in early childhood, and this week we’re going to share some of the ways using the app will help you as you lay those foundations for your child.  

In this video, Alistair explains more about our mental health and wellbeing in your child's first five years. 

Our tips for supporting your child’s mental health and wellbeing 

Play, read, chat and have fun together – cuddle your baby, read stories, talk to them and rock them. The app is full of ideas for play, and ways to adapt your routines to make them playful, so that they support learning and connection.

Provide clear and consistent boundaries alongside appropriate choices – your app will help you understand your child’s development, so you can make sure that boundaries are suitable for your little one’s understanding.   

In your articles on the Today screen, you’ll find lots of ideas, tips and information about how to support your child to make some choices, and approaches to behaviour that are based on understanding your child, not on shame or punishment – no naughty step or time out.  

Talk about emotions, thoughts and ideas – say how you think your baby, toddler or child is feeling. Even saying how you think a toy might be feeling as you play can help your child understand emotions.  

Have a fairly consistent and predictable routine – we have suggestions about how to do this realistically according to your child’s development and what they understand. 

Take care of yourself – your child learns from what they see those around them doing, so when you take time to relax and do things you enjoy, or step away for a moment because you know it’s all getting a bit much, you are showing them how to take care of their wellbeing.  

Your app has articles and ideas that give much more information about mental health and wellbeing. Keep your child’s skills up to date to get information linked to their development now.  

Watch our video about mastering skills and read our tips for skills mastery here. 

If you feel anxious, upset or like something is just not right a lot of the time please reach out for help from family, friends or professionals.

Charities, such as PANDAS in the UK, have supportive and unbiased phone or text lines for you to contact if you want some advice from experts. To find out more about what they do and how to contact them click here.

References: 

Hogg. S. and Moody, J. (2023). Understanding and supporting mental health in infancy and early childhood – a toolkit to support local action in the UK. UNICEF UK.