Babies need constant physical contact for their first months of life.

SHG-Happy mother and joyful child in Amour

“Babies need constant physical contact for their first months of life” said Manimegalai of Amour. Manimegalai further spoke to SEVAI SHG -young mothers in Amour cottages, “The ideology of "motherhood" portrays mothers as being the ultimate caregivers. They invest most if not all of their time on their children. Mothers are participating more in parenting roles and taking on responsibilities such as bathing, dressing, feeding, changing diapers and comforting children. Priorities and personal values change with an addition of a child in their life. Infants cry as a form of basic instinctive communication. A crying infant may be trying to express a variety of feelings including hunger, discomfort, over stimulation, boredom, wanting something, or loneliness. Breastfeeding is the recommended method of feeding by all major infant health organizations. Infants are born with a sucking reflex allowing them to extract the milk from the nipple of the breasts, as well as an instinctive behavior known as rooting with which they seek out the nipple. Adequate food consumption at an early age is vital for an infant’s development. From birth to four months, infants should consume breast milk or an unmodified milk substitute. As an infant’s diet matures, finger foods may be introduced as well as fruit, vegetables. As infants grow, food supplements are added. Weaning is the process through which breast milk is eliminated from the infant's diet through the introduction of solid foods in exchange for milk. Until they are toilet-trained, infants in industrialized countries wear diapers. The transition from diapers to cloth undergarments is an important transition in the development of an infant/baby to that of a toddler. Children need more sleep than adults—up to 18 hours for newborn babies, with a declining rate as the child ages. Until babies learn to walk, they are carried in the arms. The recipients of positive touch experience more benefits as they develop emotionally and socially. Human infants have a primal need to be carried close to their mother's body. They are born with reflexes that aid them in holding onto their mother's body in every way possible”. -Govin