It is a sad fact that changes in childrearing practices in the western world have reduced the opportunities for natural and instinctive physical closeness at birth and in the early years of childhood.
According to a long-established body of research, the importance of early tactile experience cannot be underestimated. For while the baby feels safe and physically secure in the womb, once it is born it needs to be held, cuddled, rocked and kept warm in order to develop healthily.
Sylvia Baddeley, who is a bonding and attachment specialist midwife and child development consultant working in Stoke, fears that an understanding of the importance of touch is being lost.
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