Attuned

What is this?

Even very small babies have feelings and thoughts. They might be hungry, or happy, or interested in your keys.

Being attuned is all about responding to what they do in a way that matches. If a baby smiles, we smile back. If they “speak”, we talk back and then wait for them to have a turn. If they are playing and laughing, so are we. It’s just like two musicians playing in tune and time together – that’s why it’s called attunement!

Why does it matter?

We all know what it is like when we feel “in touch” with a friend in a conversation. It’s the same for babies. But they also use our reactions to “tune up” their brains. They learn from our responses what they are feeling themselves and this gradually turns into an ability to manage feelings and actions. Plus they feel warm and close and safe when we tune into them.

And it feels good for us too, to be in sync with another person, especially a little one who thinks we are the most interesting thing in the whole world.

What does it look like?

Noticing cues from the baby – what are they feeling or thinking right now?
Responding in a way that shows we understand

It is usually very simple things such as:

Baby is …	So we …
Smiling	Laugh and smile with them
Fussy or frowning	Show we care, talk softly and comfort
Startled	Remove whatever is scary, comfort and cuddle
Playful	Show we are enjoying playing
Chatting	Chat back, imitating their tone
Turns away	Say “enough for now” and give them some space

Show me some examples!

Tuning in through sensory play

How you can tune in to your baby’s brain!

video