Developing relationships with babies and toddlers in child care seems natural. Most people love children, but caring for babies and toddlers can be rewarding yet challenging. Recent brain studies suggest that nurturing, supportive, and trusting interactions between infants/toddlers and their caregivers provide the foundation on which infants experience their worlds. Relationships are critical to a child's brain development and future relationships. Newborns are entirely dependent on the people who care for them, from whom they intuitively seek safety and protection. Children are like sponges during the first three years of life, experimenting and discovering at a very fast pace. The caregiver plays a significant role in development during this period. It offers the comfort and closeness that provides the child with the support and nourishment needed to process future experiences. When a child's needs are met, trust is formed between the child and his or her caregiver. The child's trust in those who care for him is the basis for growing effectively from one milestone to another. Positive, regular connections build trust and help foster beneficial relationships as your child grows. With regular positive connections a child will begin to develop more confidence not only in themselves but in the world around them. A healthy shared relationship is crucial to a child's healthy development. According to the National Infant and Infant Child Care Initiative, “positive relationships between caregivers and children help build healthy brains.” The assumption is that positive relationships achieve more than simply encouraging development; in fact they are the building blocks of the brain....... middle of paper...... they create the foundations that will help children throughout their lives. Developing respectful, ongoing, balanced and stimulating relationships with children and their families may not always be an easy task, however it is essential. Works Cited United States. Child Welfare Office. National Infant and Toddler Care Initiative (United States) Zero to Three (Organization) (2007). Credentials for childcare/childcare staff: a technical assistance tool for administrators of childcare and development funds. Washington, DC (2000 M St.: National Infant & Infant Child Care Initiative, Zero to Three. National Research Council (2001). Eager to Learn: Educating Our Preschool Children. Committee on Early Childhood Pedagogy. Barbara T. Bowman, M. Suzanne Donovan, and M. Susan Burns, (eds.) Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education Washington, DC: National Academy Press.