Page 6 - The First 60 Days Magazine - June
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G A I N I N G & S H A R I N G K N O W L E D G E
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BOOK NOW AS A PAPERBACK BOOK!
This loving, concise, insightful book reveals 22
Born common myths about newborn care and
For Love replaces them with reassuring, research-based
knowledge about what babies and new
Maia Szalavitz parents actually need. You’ll gain clarity on how
Bruce D. Perry, M.D., PH.D. timely, consistent nurturing in the first 60 days
is not just beneficial—it’s biologically essential.
From birth, when babies' fingers
instinctively cling to those of adults,
their bodies and brains seek an
intimate connection, a bond made
possible by empathy—the ability to
love and to share the feelings
of others.
In this provocative book, psychiatrist
Bruce D. Perry and award-winning ARTICLE
science journalist Maia Szalavitz
interweave research and stories from Published January, 30, 2025
Perry's practice with cutting-edge
scientific studies and historical
examples to explain how empathy The Importance of Infant and Early
develops, why it is essential for our Childhood Mental Health
development into healthy adults,
and how to raise kids with empathy Q: When it comes to infant health, we often focus on physical
while navigating threats from development – how much a baby is growing, when they start crawling, etc.
technological change and other What does it mean to expand our thinking to include mental health for
forces in the modern world. babies and toddlers?
Perry and Szalavitz show that
compassion underlies the qualities A: When we think about infant mental health, we’re thinking about a
that make society work—trust, young child’s capacity to express and navigate emotions; form close,
altruism, collaboration, love, charity— secure relationships; and explore and learn about the world around them.
and how difficulties related to Just like adults, babies and young children are experiencing emotions and
empathy are key factors in social environments that impact their mental health, and they are particularly
problems such as war, crime, racism, sensitive to those influences in the prenatal period and first 2-3 years.
and mental illness. Even physical
health, from infectious diseases to During this period, the interaction between genetic predispositions and
heart attacks, is deeply affected by positive or potentially harmful influences in a child’s environment can lay
our human connections to either a strong or an unstable foundation for mental health. Positive
one another. influences include things like stable, responsive relationships with
caregivers at home and in early care settings, a home free of heavy metals
like lead, and an abundance of green space to play in. Conversely, the
presence of negative environmental influences such as polluted air or
water, a lack of green space or lack of access to nutritious foods, can create
a more unstable foundation for mental health.
To learn much more
click on the QR Code:
T H E F I R S T 6 0 D A Y S | 5
