Now in it’s 7th year, Baby Communication Week is back in the month of June for another inspiring, equipping and fascinating celebration of newborns’ language.
Key information
Dates: 1st -5th June 2026
Theme: Seeing the Baby
Contact: For any queries about Baby Communication Week or to let us know how you will be getting involved please fill the form below or email our Communications Manager sarah.lam@brazelton.co.uk
Social media tags: #BabyCommunicationWeek26 #SeeingTheBaby @BrazeltonUK
What is Baby Communication Week and why we run it…
Baby Communication Week is an annual awareness campaign hosted by the Brazelton Centre UK, but celebrated across the UK and the world!
Through events, networking, and accessible resources, the week aims to deepen understanding among parents, practitioners, health services, and the wider community about how babies communicate and engage in relationships from the very start of life. The Week emphasises the importance of recognising and responding to babies’ behavioural cues, giving babies a voice before they have words, and building strong, sensitive, and responsive relationships that support lifelong wellbeing.
In addition to content shared by the Brazelton Centre UK, NHS trusts, partner organisations, and charities also contribute by sharing resources and hosting events to mark the week. This collective effort is both inspiring and impactful, helping to amplify the message of this important cause — that babies’ have a voices and to ensure they are heard.
What’s behind the theme for Baby Communication Week 2026?
Seeing the Baby
What “Seeing the Baby” means:
- Recognising their communication – Noticing and valuing the ways babies express themselves through their behaviour (their body language), showing how they are feeling and what they may need.
- Empathising with their world – Putting ourselves in a baby’s shoes to appreciate their perspective. ‘Seeing’ goes beyond looking; it means understanding and caring about what babies are experiencing.
- Honouring their individuality – Recognising that each baby is already a unique person with their own personality, preferences, strengths and needs, and tailoring our interactions and care to them as individuals.
During Baby Communication Week, we will explore what it truly means to see babies. Each day, we’ll look at common barriers that can get in the way—from being too task-focused, to relying on monitors, to focusing only on diagnoses, or coping with challenging experiences—and explore practical ways to overcome them. We’ll learn to notice and respond to each baby’s unique cues, strengths, and personality, keeping the baby at the heart of everything we do.
What’s happening for Baby Communication Week 2026?
Throughout this year’s Baby Communication Week, we’ll be exploring the theme “Seeing the Baby” — what it really means, why it matters, how we can do it well, and some of the barriers that can make it difficult. Together, we’ll explore practical ways to recognise and overcome these challenges so that babies remain truly at the centre of our interactions and care.
Daily themes:
Day 1: Why seeing the baby matters
We’ll begin by exploring why truly seeing the baby is so important and what it looks like in practice. We’ll also look at how the Brazelton approach provides a lens through which we can better understand and connect with babies.
Days 2–5: Exploring the barriers
Across the rest of the week, we’ll focus each day on a different barrier or challenge that can affect our ability to truly see the baby. These themes will be relevant for both healthcare professionals and parents, offering insight, reflection, and practical ideas.
In Conversation
Each day during Baby Communication Week 2026, our Communications Manager, Sarah Lam will be joined by guests for a series of conversations exploring the day’s topic and bringing the theme of “seeing the baby” to life. Together, they’ll unpack each challenge through different perspectives, experiences and insights — exploring how we can look beyond barriers in different situations and settings to truly understand, appreciate and involve babies, helping us think differently and see things in a new light.
You can watch these conversations daily at 10:00am (UK time) on Brazelton UK’s YouTube, Facebook and Instagram channels.
Who we’ll be hearing from:
Day 1: Professor Kevin Nugent, Co-author with Dr. Brazelton of the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS) and first author of the Newborn Behavioral Observations (NBO) system. WATCH HERE
Day 2: Anulika Ifezue, Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Clinical Lead for Manchester Health Visiting Service WATCH HERE
Day 3: Dr Natalie Duffy, Consultant Neonatologist at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne Australia WATCH HERE
Day 4: Alice Gair, Advanced Neonatal and Paediatric OT, Neonatal Specialist Advisor, and Trustee for Bliss WATCH HERE
Day 5: Anne-Marie Casey, Chartered Senior Clinical Psychologist in Neonatology. Honorary Tutor-Trinity College Dublin. WATCH HERE
Daily key takeaways to save and share
Alongside the video conversations we will be releasing some key take-away messages to save, share and apply in your interactions with babies. These will be released at 11am each day on Instagram and Facebook
Launch of new resources!
We’re delighted to be launching two brand-new FREE resources for Baby Communication Week 2026! Designed to be downloaded, shared, printed, pinned up — and most importantly, USED!
✨ Seeing the Baby — Prompts to Help You Notice, Understand and Connect
A shared guide for parents and professionals
✨ Getting to Know Your Baby Through What You See
A gentle guide
Over to you…
We hope the content created and shared by Brazelton Centre UK helps to raise awareness, spark conversation, and provide useful resources that can support your work and interactions with parents and babies.
But most importantly, Baby Communication Week doesn’t just happen online — it happens out there with YOU: in clinics, wards, community centres and homes; through parent information tables, workshops, coffee mornings, social media posts, and countless everyday conversations and activities.
We’d love to hear how you’ll be celebrating Baby Communication Week. Share your plans using the form below, and don’t forget to take photos and tag @BrazeltonUK so we can celebrate and share your wonderful activities and efforts too.
Here are just a few ideas of how you can get involved in Baby Communication Week:
• Create a display board or information table in your maternity ward, neonatal unit, or community clinic to share information with parents about baby communication. You can make use of our resources to support this (see below!).
• Run a workshop or coffee morning for new or expectant parents focused on getting to know their baby and understanding early communication.
• If you’re active on social media, create a live or recorded video exploring baby communication or one of the daily themes.
• Share an article or blog about why “seeing the baby” matters — or any other topic related to baby communication.
Your plans the Week:
Social media assets
Click on the links below and they will automatically download onto your device.
Circular logo: download here
Circular logo with date: download here
BCW theme and date social media square: download here
Vertical logo banner: download here
What ‘Seeing the Baby Means’ square: download here
I am supporting square: download here
Add your name or logo to the top of this image
We are supporting square: download here
Add your organisation’s name logo to the top of this image
Baby Communication resources to use
Free to download and print
We are celebrating and supporting BCW 2026 poster: Download here (add your logo to the top of the page)
Getting to Know Your Baby Through What you See: A Gentle Guide for Parents: Download here
Seeing the Baby — Prompts to Help You Notice, Understand, and Connect (A shared guide for parents and professionals): Download here
Behavioural States Poster: Download here
What ‘Seeing the Baby’ means A4 poster/flyer: Download here
Why ‘Seeing the Baby’ Matters A4 poster/flyer: Download here
5 parent affirmation A4 posters: Download here
Bonding with your baby before birth A4: Download here
Order hardcopies
Please note that the resources listed below may not arrive until after Baby Communication Week has ended if ordered during the week itself, but they will remain useful and relevant beyond the event!
Learning What Your Newborn Baby is Saying to you laminated A2 poster: Order here
How Your Baby Communicates A5 information booklet: Order here
My First Language booklet: Order here