Nowadays, parents are more worried about the physical health of a child whereas good mental health of children often gets ignored. We hear words like, “thats how kids are” or “he is just quiet and shy” and the worst one, “ Oh, he will just snap out of it” to children who exhibit warning signs of a mental condition.
To make sure that every parent looks after both aspects of a child’s well-being; physical and mental, we invited Ms. Nida Ghani. She is a very accomplished child psychologist who treats various child psychological conditions.
Q1. How can we care for a newborn’s psychology?
I believe that when a baby is newborn, their mental health is just as important as their physical health. A child’s psychological health is going to determine the kind of person they become as they grow up. So, how can we promote good mental health in our child?
Parents must start with eye contact; positive eye contact is really important to develop trust between a child and the parent.
Another thing that a child needs is attention. Don’t let a child cry in buckets before you attend to their needs. The neglect can create feelings of loneliness and helplessness in a child. Moreover, observe your child and let it settle into and create its own natural routine. A mother should create emotional bonding with her child.
Lastly, have your toddler or child interact with other children to create more social bonding. This bonding helps them to learn social skills and relationship management.
Q.2. Why do children feel insecure around the newborn?
Sometimes, a child may feel insecure about themselves when a new baby rakes in all the attention from the parents. This mostly happens when there is less age gap between the child and the newborn. Children use their mothers as a secure base but when that emotional bond gets disrupted, they get insecure about themselves. This is exactly what happens when a newborn captures all the attention of the mother.
Good Mental Health Of Children: Q And A With Ms. Nida Ghani
Q.3. How can we manage a kid when a newborn comes into the family?
You can manage a child’s insecurity by keeping them busy. You can enrol them in a preschool or create a toy nursery for them. You can also encourage them to pursue other hobbies.
You can also read your child morally instructive and emotionally enlightening stories that create empathy in the child towards other people and situations. Similarly, give your elder child attention so that they don’t feel completely neglected.
Q.4. How can we develop a positive personality within kids?
Every parent wants their child to grow up with a positive disposition. They want them to be cheerful, joyful, respectful and empathetic. We can integrate these things into the child by emulating these qualities in ourselves. In this way, the child observes and adopts these positive traits.
Also, encourage them to complete tasks so that they develop confidence. Lastly, make your child book-friendly. Sit down with your child and read to them. Book reading incorporates empathy, learning and focusing abilities and develops a positive personality.
Q.5 How can we train kids for relationship management?
I believe that social management and relationship skills must be taught early to the kids, i.e in the first 4 to 5 years. Like I mentioned before, children’s adopt those qualities that are displayed by the parents. If the parents are respectful to the people around them, the child will pick up those qualities. The reverse is also true, if the parents treat people around them badly, then the child may emulate those qualities.
So, it falls on the parents to serve as a positive role model for their kids.
You can watch the full interview to learn more about how to develop good mental health in children. Moreover, if your child seems to suffer from unmanageable mental conditions, then consult a child psychologist. Good mental health of children is just as essential as their physical health.
You can find and book an appointment with the best psychologist. You can book an appointment via the website, mobile app or by calling our helpline at 042-3890-0939 and find the right doctor for your health concerns.
