What does ICADV have in common with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson?
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson holds his infant daughter against his chest, practicing skin to skin contact.
Maybe more than we know. But one thing is that we both love the practice of skin to skin contact between dads and their babies! Skin to skin contact supports infant health, parent-child bonding, and is the earliest part in the lifespan in ICADV’s strategy for preventing violence.
We know that empathy development begins with the first eye contact and physical contact between babies and their parents. Empathy, the ability to recognize and share the feelings of others, is a critical building block for safe and respectful relationships. We also know that our family is the first place that we practice relationships and that strong parent-child bonds are protective against multiple forms of violence.
At ICADV, we work to prevent violence by promoting strong, connected relationships across the lifespan. This begins by supporting nurturing behaviors at birth and by championing public policies like paid family leave that help ensure parents have the time and economic stability that they need to be the best parents that they can be.
If you’d like to engage your community partners in this prevention strategy, ICADV can provide you with program brochures and posters free of charge. We’ve worked with birthing education programs, hospitals, lactation support programs, and home visitation programs, but there are many opportunities to promote skin to skin! Just send Colleen Yeakle an email to request materials or order them through our online form.
For more information about preventing violence by promoting safe, stable, and nurturing relationships, visit ICADV’s Small Moments website.
