Minding the Baby™ Research

Minding the Baby™ Home Visiting (MTB-HV) bridges primary care and mental health approaches to enhancing the parent-infant relationship. Grounded in attachment theory, the MTB model is aimed at promoting the parents’ capacities to keep the child and their needs in mind. Though toxic stress and adverse life circumstances challenge parenting in a variety of ways, supporting parents’ curiosity and interest in their child’s experience has been linked to a number of positive outcomes. From 2002-2021, MTB-HV clinicians provided direct clinical service for young families in New Haven, Connecticut. These families also participated in voluntary evaluation research, and many continue to participate in longitudinal follow-up.

Through initial pilot and later efficacy testing with young adult and teen parents, positive outcomes were demonstrated in RF, parent-child relationship, infant attachment, high retention rates, lower rates of rapid subsequent childbearing (a second birth within 2 years of the first child), lower rates of child obesity, and fewer DCF referrals. These outcomes are fully described under Findings.

MTB-HV clinicians served over 200 families in Connecticut between 2002 and 2021, with more than 470 additional families served through program implementation in Florida, England, Scotland, with an on-going independent multi-year RCT underway as part of a multi-site implementation in Denmark.