The increasingly common practice of discharging mothers and infants in the first day or two after birth provides little opportunity for new parents to become comfortable and knowledgeable about newborn care. Follow-up home visits by nurses occur only in one of five cases. Health professionals are missing opportunities to encourage breast-feeding . Parents are missing opportunities to stimulate infant brain development . Only two in five parents read daily to their infants and toddlers, despite research showing the importance of stimulating activities, such as reading, looking at pictures, and playing music, even in the very early months.
Parents are receptive to information from physicians .
Parents indicate that they would find helpful more information on newborn care, sleep patterns, how to respond to a crying baby, toilet training, discipline, and encouraging their child to learn. Yet fewer than half of parents discuss these issues with their physician. Parents receiving special pediatric services rate physicians more highly . Parents' child-rearing practices reflect strains on families . Parents are more likely to use harsher disciplinary measures with toddlers than with younger children.