Are we damaging our children?

A new report says that parents over-reliance on baby kit such as car seats, buggies and bouncers is causing psychological damage.

In the news yesterday, Director of the Institute for Neuro-Physiological Psychology, Sally Goddard Blythe suggested that parents who have their children strapped into pushchairs, car seats and baby bouncers for long periods of time with little face to face interaction could be causing long term psychological and emotional damage.

So is this the case, or are we just giving concerned new parents something else to worry about? It’s a tough one. Of course babies should not be left in car seats or bouncers for extended periods of time without any interaction from their parents – that’s just common sense. But sometimes life gets in the way. Sometimes there are moments when you do turn your back on your child for a few minutes – you need to go to the toilet/peel the potatoes/answer the door. In these moments, there is nothing wrong with popping your child in the bouncer for a moment. Surely that is safer than leaving them unattended on the floor? When you go shopping, your child may need to sit in the pushchair. That’s OK.

As long as you are not ignoring your child for long periods of time, I think this recent ‘report’ needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. When our children are in their pushchairs, car seats or bouncers, most parents will still be interacting and talking to them – pointing things out that they can see, singing or just chatting. I don’t think our babies are at permanent risk of psychological damage.

Please parents, don’t worry about this recent report. YOU are what your baby needs, and as long as he/she is getting regular doses of mummy/daddy time, you’re doing great.

What do you think about this recent report? Does it make sense to you, or do you just think it gives parents another thing to feel guilty about?