Christy and Avy

Nothing puts baby Avy to sleep quite like loud, crazy rock music – a secret her mother, Christy, has come to cherish. It’s just one of the many invaluable insights she’s gained through her involvement in Healthy Families, a key program designed to raise children safe, healthy and prepared for life. Christy enrolled in the program during her third trimester, which is when she learned her little secret – if she listened to one CD constantly through the end of her pregnancy, she could use that music to soothe her baby after she was born.

And now that Avy’s nearly a year old, the information keeps coming! Thanks to her bimonthly visits with her Healthy Families social work professional, Christy continues receiving new ideas to enhance Avy’s development – certain toys, for example, will help Avy develop fine motor skills, while others will help her understand logic and cause-and-effect relationships.

Through her involvement with Healthy Families, Christy’s learned just how important it is for parents to interact with their children, to bond with their babies and form a trusting relationship.

“You always have that motherly instinct, but you don’t necessarily know what your baby needs,” Christy says. “It’s so important in the beginning. You learn how much security means to your baby, like holding her when she cries instead of putting her down and getting frustrated.”

Avy used to be quite colicky, Christy remembers, and her Healthy Families professional taught her to hold and soothe her baby, which calmed them both.

“When you comfort your baby when she cries, she learns she can depend on you,” Christy says.

And Christy’s also receiving crucial parenting advice and tips to help her raise Avy safely. She knows how to set boundaries for her baby without yelling or spanking, and she and her husband are learning how to strengthen their marriage and their family connection in order to give Avy the best life she can have.

“I love being a mom,” Christy says. “It’s always been my dream to be a stay-at-home mom. Everything about it is awesome.”

She loves being with Avy day in and day out, watching her develop, teaching her and encouraging her. And if there’s ever anything she has a question about, her social worker will find pages of information to provide Christy with complete, comprehensive answers.

“I feel like I’m able to give Avy so much more than I would have if I didn’t do this program,” Christy says.