Maine Association for Infant Mental Health

18/11/2025

ONE OF OUR POPULAR POSTS in the What Is.... Series that we are resharing with a free bite size info sheet.

If a child seems to “go from 0 to 100” with no warning…

If they melt down suddenly…
If they struggle to tell you what’s wrong until they’re already overwhelmed…

There’s often a hidden sense behind it — interoception.

Today’s one-page visual breaks down what interoception is, why it’s so important for emotional regulation, and how you can gently support a young person whose internal signals feel confusing or too loud.

If you’d like the free parent information sheet to go with it, comment INTEROCEPTION below and I’ll send you the Dropbox link. ⬇️

18/11/2025

This is your brain on parenthood.

Parents shape their children's emotional and social experiences by responding to their needs with care. The changes in hormones and brain activity that occur when people become parents greatly influence how they care for their kids. While research has mostly focused on the hormonal changes in mothers, fathers are also crucial to their children's health and development. Studies show that mother-child and father-child interactions differ significantly, but both compliment a child’s socio-emotional and cognitive development. But what does becoming a parent do to your own brain?

During the early postpartum period, parents' brains exhibit an increase in structural plasticity. Both new mothers and new fathers show increased gray matter volume in several overlapping brain regions. This can offer several benefits to new parents:

🩶 Increased learning and memory: Greater plasticity allows the brain to adapt and learn new skills more effectively, which is essential for new parents as they navigate and remember caregiving tasks and routines.

🩶 Improved emotional regulation: Changes in brain structure can improve emotional regulation, helping parents manage stress and respond more calmly and effectively to their baby's needs.

🩶 Strengthened bonding and attachment: In brain areas related to social and emotional processing, structural plasticity can improve bonding and attachment between parents and their infants, fostering a secure and loving relationship.

🩶 Increased sensitivity to infant cues: Adaptations in sensory and perceptual areas of the brain can heighten parents' sensitivity to their baby's cues, such as cries and facial expressions, enabling more responsive and attuned caregiving.

🩶 Better problem-solving and decision-making: Increased plasticity in the prefrontal cortex can improve problem-solving and decision-making skills, helping parents to better navigate the challenges of parenting.

So, one would wonder, does becoming a parent make us a better person?

✨ Read more about the top 8 things you can learn from your children on our blog here: https://neuro.now/lived_experience/what-you-can-learn-from-your-children/

References: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6773483/

18/11/2025

18/11/2025

Love your child simply because they exist.💛

18/11/2025

This Thursday, November 20th, is Children's Grief Awareness Day. Children's emotional experiences are just as real and valid as those of adults. Too often, their grief is overlooked or minimized simply because they are young. Recognizing and honoring their pain builds trust and teaches them that their feelings matter. If a child in your life is grieving a loss, your love and presence are what they need most as they walk this journey.

31/10/2025

A child who masks looks calm on the surface — but inside, their nervous system is in overdrive.
They’re not choosing to hide their feelings; they’ve learned it’s safer that way.

Emotional regulation gives them something they’ve rarely had — a safe place to feel.
When we focus on connection, co-regulation, and safety, the mask can finally start to come off.

Explore more strategies for supporting unmasking and emotional safety in The Masking Toolkit, from The Contented Child at link in comments ⬇️ or via Linktree Store in Bio.

31/10/2025

Children express and experience love in different ways. For example, one of my kids prefers physical touch, whereas the other needs words of affirmation. Each of these expressions of love represents a different "language".

It’s common to have different love languages within a family and it can be tricky to navigate. However, once you do learn your child’s love language, it can make all the difference in your relationship and their happiness.

>>> https://biglifejournal.com/blogs/blog/connect-child-activities-love-languages?aff=55

31/10/2025

31/10/2025

They might look the same — but they’re not.

A tantrum is driven by frustration and still needs an audience.
A meltdown is driven by overwhelm and happens beyond control.

Knowing the difference changes how we respond.
One needs guidance and boundaries — the other needs calm, safety, and recovery time.

Understanding what’s really happening helps us support regulation, not react to behaviour.

Find practical tools and visuals inside our Managing Big Feelings Toolkit link in comments ⬇️ or via Linktree Shop in Bio.