The first three years shape a child’s emotional development for the rest of their lives. Infant Mental Health Awareness Week brings that science into conversations across Australia. Running June 8th to 14th in 2026, this year’s theme is Attunement; the everyday work of noticing what a baby is feeling, and responding to it in a way that makes them feel safe.
About Infant Mental Health Awareness Week 2026
Infant Mental Health Awareness Week (IMHAW) runs from 8 to 14 June 2026. For one week, clinicians, parents, researchers, educators, and policymakers turn their attention to the wellbeing of children under three: what helps them thrive, what gets in the way, and what families need from the adults and services around them.
This Year's Theme: Attunement
The 2026 theme is Attunement. Attunement is when you read your baby and respond to what they actually need. It’s when you notice they’re upset, work out why, and do something that helps.
Attunement helps your baby feel safe, learn to regulate their feelings, and build a sense that the world is a place they can trust. All of this goes towards growing up with strong mental health.
The 2026 campaign explores how professionals working with babies use attunement in practice, and what families need around them to do this well. The 2026 Australian program is announced through AAIMH (Australian Association for Infant Mental Health) in the lead-up to June; global campaign material is published on the Parent-Infant Foundation’s IMHAW page.
AAIMH And Where to Start Looking for Help
Australia’s system is set up so most families can be supported. If you’re worried about your baby’s behaviour, sleep, feeding, or development, your GP or local child and family health nurse is the right first call. They can rule out physical causes and refer you on if needed. You can find your nearest child and family health centre by calling Healthdirect on 1800 022 222.
Emerging Minds and Raising Children Network cover infant social-emotional development, signs of difficulty, and how to support your baby through each stage. Smiling Mind is the free Australian mindfulness app with dedicated programs for new parents, and the Centre of Perinatal Excellence (COPE) runs the Ready to COPE app delivering week-by-week perinatal wellbeing content.
If you’re not sure which service fits your situation, ForWhen (1300 24 23 22, Mon to Fri 9.00am to 4.30pm) is a free national navigation service that connects you to the right early parenting or perinatal mental health support in your state.
Taking Part in Infant Mental Health Week 2026
AAIMH runs free or low-cost webinars, public lectures, and seminars during IMHAW. The AAIMH events calendar lists state-by-state activity as its published. The week is an opportunity for workplaces, early childhood centres, allied health teams, and community organisations to host a lunch-and-learn, share a resource, or run an internal awareness campaign.
Sign up for an AAIMH state branch event. Most are free or low-cost and open to the community, with CPD hours available for people working in the sector.
Put the numbers somewhere visible, like in your parent group chat, on the staff noticeboard, in a parental leave handover document. Five minutes of admin can route a family to the right service months down the line.
Download and share the free resources. AAIMH publishes a ‘What you can do’ guide for the week and position papers like Responding to your baby’s cues.
Post under the #IMHAW hashtag where AAIMH, Emerging Minds, PANDA, Tweddle, COPE, and the Parent-Infant Foundation also gather.
Where Mental Health Pro Fits
The first three years of a child’s life carry forward into everything else. Mental Health Pro trains the educators, workers, managers, and parents who form the second ring of support around every Australian family. We deliver mental health training to educators, allied health workers, frontline managers, HR teams, and community workers across Australia.
IMHAW 2026 is a useful prompt for the workforce question: do the people on your team have the mental health literacy to recognise when a parent or young child is struggling, and the confidence to direct them towards the right service? That’s the gap our training closes.
References
- Parent-Infant Foundation. Infant Mental Health Awareness Week 2026 — Attunement. https://parentinfantfoundation.org.uk/our-work/imhaw/
- Australian Association for Infant Mental Health (AAIMH). Home. https://www.aaimh.org.au
- Australian Association for Infant Mental Health (AAIMH). Events and Training. https://www.aaimh.org.au/events-and-training/
- Emerging Minds. Home. https://emergingminds.com.au
- Raising Children Network. Home. https://raisingchildren.net.au
- Smiling Mind. Home. https://www.smilingmind.com.au
- Centre of Perinatal Excellence (COPE). Home. https://www.cope.org.au
- Centre of Perinatal Excellence (COPE). Ready to COPE App. https://www.cope.org.au/readytocope/
- ForWhen Helpline. Home. https://www.forwhenhelpline.org.au
- Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia (PANDA). Home. https://panda.org.au
- Tweddle Child and Family Health Service. Home. https://www.tweddle.org.au
