Christine Neely is CO-Founder/COO/Parent Educator at TrainingGrounds in New Orleans. Christine shares her experience becoming a Certified HUG Teacher.
I am in awe of the HUG program and so thankful that this information is available to share with parents. I often share with moms that I didn’t know much of this information with my own children. Looking back, I often misread cues of my own children which caused a lot of self-doubt. When delivering a HUG session with a new parent I feel like I am opening a window into the different ways their baby is communicating with them AND giving them a roadmap to how to respond.
As a co-founder of the non- profit TrainingGrounds we are always looking for programs that can be offered that help parents understand more about their children’s behavior as a means of communication. The HUG program allows caregivers to do this from birth. By learning to be in-tune with babies from the start, parents are much more likely to continue this practice as their child ages which leads to more secure attachment and less parental stress.
All of the HUG tips and strategies are simple, easy to understand and are things parents can start using right away. The way the presentation is designed provides safe opportunities for parents to share about common struggles (eating, crying, sleeping). Parents feel empowered by the information when they are better able to read their babies cues and I get to share in that celebration. Every time I deliver a HUG session with a new parent, I fall more in love with the information. Thank you Jan for entrusting TrainingGrounds to share this with all new parents we work with in New Orleans!