Case Study #1, Question #2

Some of the strategies that Shawna and Ronnie used to gain the trust of the infants was they first and foremost were always readily available to take care of any and all of the infants' needs as soon as they would arise, making and directing eye contact as they conversed with the infants in soothing, calming tones. They used touch to comfort and settle the infants. They allowed the infants to be visited by their parents during the day (Natalya visiting her son Sasha and allowing her to speak to her son in Russian, even Shawna using Russian her self to ease the transition of Sasha's mother leaving and to give him something comforting and familiar to hear). Shawna and Ronnie also allowed the students to bring personal items from home to help ease their home separation, and to make the care-center a more familiar and welcoming place (for example, allowing Olivia to listen to her home CD when she was having seperation anxiety from her father to ease her transition to the care-center, or allowing the infants to have pictures of their relatives fixed to their own personal spaces/cribs to give them a familiar face to find if they are feeling homesick). Also the caregivers would talk to the students (and parents) about events in their home life (such as Olivia's grandmother's birthday) to build a stronger relationship and bond with the infant (and the infants' families). Finally, the caregivers were extremely flexible to every infants want and need and were always attentive to ease and comfort the infant and to let the infants know that they were there for them.