Read your baby's cues accurately. This includes understanding when your baby is hurt or frightened. Additionally, a parents should be able to identify their child’s habits. Being able to report in detail about your child’s needs is a good check that you are understanding your baby.

Response to a child’s needs is of utmost importance. When responding to your child, ensure that you are reacting appropriately and promptly. An appropriate response will rely on your ability to understand your child’s habits, as explained previously. The effectiveness of a response also relies on minimizing the time it takes to address your child. Both these factors should not be overlooked when being a mindful parent.

Remember, responding to your child doesn’t mean you must give them what they want. Spoiling your child is not ideal either. Simply put, be present with your child and provide them comfort. If you disagree with what your child wants, talk to them and let them understand that they can’t have what they want. Do so in a meaningful way.

Enjoy interacting with your baby! When the feeling to be there for your child is genuine, parenting will feel that much more rewarding. On top of that, these parenting tips will become even easier to accomplish.

For some kids, parenting style has a direct link to their exploration activity for their careers. Children under an authoritative parent, in general, had an increased curiosity about their future. Furthermore, the authoritatively raised children had higher satisfaction in their future careers. Some discrepancies between the sex of the child yield different results. Despite this, an authoritative parenting style posed no negative traits on the children as a whole. Source: Vignoli, E., Crotty-Belz, S., Chapeland, V., de Filippis, A., & Garcia, M. (2005). Career exploration in adolescents: the role of anxiety, attachment, and parenting style. Journal Of Vocational Behavior, 67(2), 153-168.

Studies have shown that parenting interventions around the child’s age of 36 months were successful in increasing parental sensitivity. This means with a little bit of help, you could improve your parenting and understanding of your child. These interventions were of many forms including one-to-one help, group work, or self-guided instructions. However, the earlier you start the intervention, the more effective your methods will be, so it’s best not to hold it off. Seek professional help if it feels too overwhelming. Many different methods of interventions can be conducted that fit your comfort level. It’s very important to note, however, the parent must act as the agent of change for any change to happen. Remember, your baby isn’t going to dial the phone asking for help, that’s up to the parent! Source: Mountain, G., Cahill, J., & Thorpe, H. (2017). Sensitivity and attachment interventions in early childhood: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Infant Behavior & Development, 4614-32.