Parents are being asked to share their own experiences of caring for their child to help build a more complete picture of infant development as part of a new study by Cardiff University.
Alice Winstanley of the School of Psychology is leading a research project exploring the strategies that parents adopt in caring for children and how those strategies affect children.
To date, much research has shown the ways in which early childhood development can be shaped by warm and sensitive social environments and the different types of interaction a newborn baby has with its parents. However, it is not clear whether parenting strategies are present at the time of birth or are learned as a result of the experiences parents face following the birth of their child.
Parents’ are being invited to complete an online questionnaire to give feedback on their baby’s behaviour, in particular their baby’s sleeping, feeding and crying habits. Parents are also asked to describe their habits and strategies in caring for their baby.
The survey takes around ten minutes to complete and all responses will be anonymous. The data will be used to look at whether and how parents’ opinions and experiences of care giving vary in the general population. It is hoped that the research will shed light on why people choose to care for their baby in different ways.
Speaking about the study, Alice said: “Despite the large number of books and advice available to parents about how to care for their baby, there is very little data about whether and when parents adopt this advice. In addition, we know very little about how different approaches to care giving can shape babies’ development. The aim of this study is to begin bridging this gap.
“Filling in the picture of a child’s development is important because understanding the many paths of development will inform parenting and education programmes for children, as well as public policy.”
The research team is seeking parents who are expecting a child or who have a baby under 18-months-old to take part in the study. The Baby Care Questionnaire can be found at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/S3M88HW . Parents without internet access can take part by requesting a questionnaire from the Development@Cardiff Research Group at 029 2087 6190.
As well as providing information about parenting strategies the results will also inform a future longitudinal study looking into the social and cognitive needs of premature babies.
