Healthy Babies Healthy Children Program

Our Healthy Babies Healthy Children Program (HBHC) is free, confidential and voluntary for people in Grey/Bruce that are pregnant, or parenting babies, toddlers and preschoolers. All Ontario Health Units and many First Nations and Inuit communities run this program, so if you live out of our area and are interested in HBHC, please do contact them for support.

As part of our program, a Public Health Nurse may call you based on information received from your health care provider or hospital (with consent), to do a quick assessment over the phone, inform you about local community programs, and make sure you have information and supports in place. Often this is just a phone call. Sometimes, we will talk to you about our Healthy Babies Healthy Children Home Visiting Program. You can also refer yourself to our program, or a service provider can do that for you if you agree.

The Healthy Babies Healthy Children Home Visiting Program

Public Health Nurses and Parent Support Workers are available for families that need a little extra help or support through our home visiting team. Parenting is hard. It’s harder when money is tight, anxiety is high, parents are teary or depressed, the children are challenging, or supports are low. We can help.

We can provide support during pregnancy, and at any point up until the youngest child transitions to school. Working with families early in their pregnancy can help set a good foundation for when the baby arrives, so the earlier the better, but we work with toddlers and preschoolers too.

We may:

• Answer questions about your pregnancy, and help you prepare.
• Show you what you are doing well, and build on your strengths.
• Listen to your concerns, answer questions and help identify solutions.
• Teach you how your baby communicates, and how to respond appropriately.
• Help you think about your support system and how to use and strengthen it.
• Screen for mood disorders, like postpartum depression, offer support, and refer as needed.
• Monitor your child’s development.
• Identify and role model activities that you can do with your child to help them thrive.
• Support and strengthen your relationship with your child.
• Talk about safety (sleep, healthy relationships, smoking, cannabis use, baby proofing)
• Set up daily routines, talk about toilet learning, challenging behaviours, and discipline.
• Cook with families, talk about the Food Guide and healthy eating patterns for all ages.
• Connect and coordinate with other agencies and services that can help you.

Refer to the HBHC Home Visiting Program

Want to know more about why our program is important for long-term outcomes? Check out the links below:

Healthy Baby Healthy Brain

5 Steps for Brain Building—serve and return

ACES and Toxic stress – What are considered Adverse Childhood Experiences and why is this important?

Please feel free to contact us if you have questions. We are here to help. Link to contact us page