Mental Health in the Early Years

SEED Early Childhood Educational Blog

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Discover how to support mental health in children aged 0-5. Learn about early signs, self-regulation, and secure attachments.

15 April 2026

By Samantha Donnelly BA (Hons) MA

The term ‘mental health’ or ‘infant mental health’ refers to a baby or child’s well-being in terms of their social and emotional development. Good mental health is a positive state that allows babies and young children to cope with challenges and enjoy life.

Babies and young children have different kinds of difficulties from time to time, and problems during early childhood are common. These problems can vary in severity. In the context of mental health, there is a difference between temporary problems and emergent mental health issues.

Image credit: AI. Happy baby Mental Health in the Early Years Thumbnail

Every baby and young child is different, and their emotions and behaviours will be presented in different ways. However, early childhood problems that are continuous require appropriate and timely support. When early childhood problems are left, they can become ingrained patterns and behaviours which can increase the risk of the baby or young child meeting the diagnosis criteria of a mental health condition.

• Common early childhood problems:

• Behavioural difficulties like tantrums

• Difficulty forming relationships

• Developmental delay

• Social withdrawal

• Eating problems

• Sleep problems [1][9]

What does mental health refer to?

The term ‘mental health’ or ‘infant mental health’ refers to a baby or child’s well-being in terms of their social and emotional development. Good mental health is a positive state that allows babies and young children to cope with challenges and enjoy life. Each baby or child experiences mental health differently; this can be influenced by a wide range of factors which can shape their development. [1][5]

When can Mental Health Impact a Young Child?

Evidence shows that from preconception to the age of 5 years old, there are unique developmental stages that mould how mental health problems appear and affect babies and young children. The first three years of a child’s life provide an important window of opportunity to support mental health in terms of their brain and social-emotional development. The mental health of babies and young children matters greatly in the present tense, and it is crucial to acknowledge this, as it can impact their future. [1][2][6][9]

Why is Early Intervention important?

When a baby or young child’s difficulties are continual and less temporal, they may require additional support. Early intervention is very important. Failure to address early problems and difficulties has an impact on the mental health and well-being of a baby or young child as they get older. According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, 50% of mental health conditions become established before the child is 14 years old. The evidence for early intervention shows that these risks can be resolved. [8][11]

What skills support good Mental Health in Children?

EXECUTIVE FUNCTION

Executive function describes the functional skills. a baby or young child uses to regulate their emotions, be attentive, focus and self-evaluate.

• Executive function:

• Flexible thinking

• Self-regulation

• Short-term memory

These skills can equip babies and young children to make decisions, learn and have social understanding.

SELF-REGULATION

Self-regulation refers to the complex skills a baby develops from the womb and continues to develop throughout childhood. Self-regulation is the ability to control emotions, behaviour and thought. Executive function supports this process by enabling babies and young children to manage their impulses, focus their attention and retain information. [5][6][12][13][14][15]

How is Mental Health Supported in an Early Years Environment?

It is very likely that a child will attend a group setting like a nursery during their early years. Children between the ages of 0 and 5 years old attending an educational setting in the UK will be educated via the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework (EYFS) for group settings. This is a statutory provision for providers, which outlines specific areas of a child’s development and requirements. According to the EYFS, every baby and young child should have a Key person. A key person plays a part in forming a secure and trusting relationship with the child. The key person relationship is essential to support a baby or young child’s mental health. The key person has a tremendous responsibility to support the child to develop social-emotional skills, such as:

• Emotional intelligence

• Independence

• Cooperation

• Executive function

These skills can support babies and young children to form relationships and can also support their learning in other areas of development. The key person can also plan routine and consistency into the child’s day to support their well-being. The key person and the wider team are responsible for fostering a safe and trusting environment that provides opportunities for babies and young children to gain social-emotional skills. When babies and young children feel protected physically and emotionally, they become more open to exploration and learning, allowing them to take healthy risks and develop their independence. The early foundational skills a baby or young child receives during their time in an early year’s environment can provide them with the tools to have good mental health in the future. [3][4][5][8][11]

How Can I Support a Child with Mental Health?

A baby's or young child’s first point of learning is with their parents in their home environment. Secure attachments with adults is crucial for a baby or young child’s social-emotional development. Adults, (usually the baby or young child’ parents) need to support them by providing nurture, love and consistency because babies and young children can thrive in safe nurturing environments. Boundaries and consistency can also be very reassuring, as the aspect of predictability can reduce stress and aid emotional regulation. Communication and conversation can also be beneficial, when the adult models communication the child can learn how to express themselves. Children that have emotional literacy have the key component for empathy. Adults need to be emotionally intelligent to convey these kinds of skills, and can benefit from support to become more emotionally aware; to better support a babies or young child’s mental health.

• A healthy relationship and home environment can support the baby or young child to:

• Build emotional intelligence

• Form healthy relationships with others

• Reduce the risk of stress-related sickness

• Self-regulate

• Communicate their needs

• Develop skills to support good mental health in adulthood.

When it comes to social-emotional development, the adult can demonstrate behaviours to support a baby or young child. They can:

• Show empathy

• Try to understand what emotions the baby or young child is expressin

• Label their emotions

• Show understanding and validate their feelings

• Attempt to identify triggers or causes

• Provide hugs and nurturing physical contact

• Provide opportunities for the baby or young child to socialise

• Use resources that discuss emotions

• Encourage the expression of feelings

• Model the normality of emotions [5][7][10]

Author: Samantha Donnelly BA(Hons)MA

Samantha Donnelly is an Early Childhood Practitioner with more than 15 years of experience working with children, specialising in Early Childhood Education. Samantha is the founder of SEED Early Childhood Educational Blog.

Editor: SEED Early Childhood

SEED Early Childhood is an independent educational blog created with this mission: to provide free, professional insights into child development and education for parents.

References

[1] UNICEF Understanding-and-supporting-mental-health-in-infancy-and-early-childhood-A-toolkit-to-suppot-local-action.pdf https://www.unicef.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Understanding-and-supporting-mental-health-in-infancy-and-early-childhood-A-toolkit-to-suppot-local-action.pdf

[2] Barnados Information for Parents booklet.pdf www.barnados.org.uk/site/default/files/uploads/Information%20for%20Parents%20booklet.pdf

[4] Supporting children's mental health and wellbeing in the early years Education Endowment Foundationhttps://d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/production/documents/pages/supporting_childrens_mental_health_and_wellbeing_in_the_early_years.pdf

[5] Gov.UK Help for early years providers : Mental health for early years children https://help-for-early-years-providers.education.gov.uk/health-and-wellbeing/mental-health-for-early-years-children

[6] EEF | Self-Regulation and Executive Function https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/early-years/evidence-store/self-regulation-and-executive-function

[7] Foundation Years Supporting Emotional Wellbeing in the Early Years: Building Resilience from the Start https://www.foundationyears.org.uk/2025/11/supporting-emotional-wellbeing-in-the-early-years-building-resilience-from-the-start/

[8] Royal College of Psychiatrists Early years mental health https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/improving-care/campaigning-for-better-mental-health-policy/early-years-mental-health

[9] RCPSYCH college-report-cr238---infant-and-early-childhood-mental-health.pdf https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/docs/default-source/improving-care/better-mh-policy/college-reports/college-report-cr238---infant-and-early-childhood-mental-health.pdf?sfvrsn=1d8d5efd_18

[10] NDNA Wellbeing-in-early-years.pdf https://ndna.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Wellbeing-in-early-years.pdf

[11] Young and Smart Nursery Supporting Emotional Wellbeing in Early Years https://youngandsmartnursery.co.uk/early-years/understanding-emotional-wellbeing-in-early-childhood/

[12] SEED Early Childhood (2026) ADHD Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder https://seedearlychildhood.com/adhd

[13] Driga, Anna Maria & Drigas, Athanasios. (2019). ADHD in the Early Years: Pre-Natal and Early Causes and Alternative Ways of Dealing. International Journal of Online Engineering (iJOE). 15. 95-102. 10.3991/ijoe.v15i13.11203.

[14] Cinderella, M., and L. Akash Pramoth. “A Systematic Review on Effects and Impact of ADHD in Children.” Shanlax International Journal of Arts, Science and Humanities, vol. 12, no. S1, 2024, pp. 9–13. https://doi.org/10.34293/sijash.v12iS1

[15] Stephens, R. L., Elsayed, H. E., Reznick, J. S., Crais, E. R., & Watson, L. R. (2021). Infant Attentional behaviors Are Associated With ADHD Symptomatology and Executive Function in Early Childhood. Journal of attention disorders, 25(13), 1908–1918. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054720945019

SEED Early Childhood is the Educational blog founded by Samantha Donnelly to bring professionals information to you.

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