We wish we could talk with you individually to hear your thoughts, concerns, reservations, or anticipated challenges in using the Conversations Approach. We have provided some common questions and concerns that have been shared about using the Conversations Approach and responses that may be useful to you.
1. Families may not want to create a plan. Do I have to push this issue?
Of course families have a choice and creating a full plan may not be something they choose. Having the discussion with them, however, is still very important and helpful. It can help them begin to anticipate what they need to do to prepare for their baby and help them think about what supports they have or may need. This thought process alone gives families a chance to make sure they can follow through with their plans for sleeping and feeding their babies.
2. A written plan may not work for everyone. Families with limited or no literacy or with disabilities that impact reading written material won’t benefit from one.
There are a number of ways that you can make accommodations to the process for families who might not benefit from a written plan. For example, large numbers of people have smart phones. You could video or audio record a summary of the plan for the family for future reference. If the family has identified particular supports they want to use, you could help them put contact information into speed dial that could be voice activated. Finally, you might determine if there is someone in that family’s support system who could help them review the written plan over time—that could be part of the plan!
