Initiative, Cooperation and Reciprocity

Instances of bodily care in the Piklerian way serve as opportunities to build and reinforce a trusting relationship as well as a true partnership between the young child and his or her caregiver.
Following upon "The Baby's Time (1): Bathing and Caring: Solicitude, empathy, and acquired gestures", concerning infants aged 0 to 6 months, this film goes on to study "the art of caring" practiced at the Pikler Institute in the second half of the first year of life. At this age, the infants’ motor experiences become more varied, their interests are widening, and they show more and more personal initiative and will. Now they know the bath ritual very well, and they can anticipate events and prepare themselves. If their self-initiated motor development is respected during the care situation, children can and will actively take part in the process.
The setting gives possibilities and sets limits in order that the baby is completely free to move and to participate, thus developing his or her desire for cooperation. Mutual adaptation of the partners fosters a reciprocal relationship. The film shows how the adult can take the child’s contribution, such as his involuntary movement, into account, and transform it into mutual joy while bathing.
This tutorial is intended for caregivers in any field of infant care, and for those involved in young children's care. It is also intended for paediatricians and paediatric nurses in training, but anyone who has the opportunity to bathe a baby may be inspired.