Parent-Infant Foundation asks, ‘Why are attuned relationships so important for babies?’ this Infant Mental Health Awareness Week
08 June 2026
This year to mark Infant Mental Health Awareness Week (8th – 14th June), the Parent-Infant Foundation is calling on professionals and practitioners to focus on ‘Attunement’.
Attunement is the ability to tune in and connect with others on an emotional level. It is important for everyone, but particularly for babies and their parents (or carers). Attuned relationships help babies to feel safe and loved, and help babies learn to regulate their emotions, supporting good infant mental health.
Results of a survey[1] released earlier this year by charity NCT, found that during pregnancy, most parents (65%) worry about their relationship with their baby and partner, and want the opportunity to discuss their feelings.
Professionals and practitioners need time to listen and ‘tune in’ to families, so they can open up conversations about relationships.
Specialised parent-infant relationship teams and services play a crucial role, supporting and strengthening attuned relationships between babies and their parents or carers.
This Infant Mental Health Awareness Week, we’ve curated a variety of learning resources, videos and tools for services to use and share. There is a new poster too, in ‘baby voice’, for services to display and use. Find all the resources on our IMHAW website page
Services running Infant Mental Health Awareness Week events are sharing examples of how services support attunement across social channels throughout the week. Some have organised local MP visits to raise awareness of infant mental health.
Keith Reed, Chief Executive at the Parent-Infant Foundation said
“When you tune into how a baby is feeling, it helps with their brain growth and development. It helps them develop social and emotional skills – the building blocks for their lifelong wellbeing and mental health.
“Attuned relationships help babies develop social and emotional skills. Attunement helps babies feel safe, build trust and gain confidence to explore.
“Attuned relationships support both baby and parental wellbeing.”
Dr Liz Gregory, Wales Development Lead at the Parent-Infant Foundation said:
“As part of our work in Wales, we’ve recently run a successful training pilot specifically focusing on the importance of early attuned relationships. Our ‘BEAR’ (Building Early Attuned Relationships) training has been delivered to around 200 professionals working across the Early Years sector in Wales, and the response has been fantastic. There is a real demand for a focus on how to support babies and families with their early relationships.”
See how to get involved with #IMHAW2026 here
Notes:
- Infant Mental Health Awareness Week (IMHAW) is co-ordinated by the Parent-Infant Foundation and provides an annual opportunity to discuss the importance of supporting babies’ mental health and wellbeing.
- NCT survey Jan 2026– A survey of 2,000 new and expectant parents across the UK, including 500 women and people who were pregnant at the time of the survey Becoming a parent report | | NCT
- ‘Building Early Attuned Relationships (BEAR)’ Parent-Infant Foundation pilot project in Wales – BEAR is a pilot project based in Wales, led by the Parent-Infant Foundation and supported by National Lottery funding. The aim is to increase knowledge across professional and community domains about the importance of early attuned relationships.