In this series of blog posts, we are doing a deep-dive into a few interesting articles from our rapid evidence review (https://childmindingbabies.blog/rapid-evidence-review/). Eckhardt and Egert’s (2020) supported us to understand how quality can be conceptualised for babies specifically in the context of childminding provision. We then looked to Hillburn et al. (2025) to learn about responsive interactions with babies. To close out this series, we will reflect on Stratigios’ (2016) work to explore quality from a baby’s point of view.
Stratigios’ (2016) study was one of very few to consider how we might engage with babies’ voices in childminding provision. The author led a longitudinal case study of one infant, Peter, in Australia to draw out how power and desire are at work as infants seek belonging in family day care. In this blog post, we consider what Peter’s experiences can teach us about quality by exploring how he actively seeks closeness and navigates relationships when creating belonging.
Note: Throughout the international literature, a range of terms are used to describe childminding. Stratigios (2016) use the phrase ‘family day care’, and we adopt their terminology for the remainder of this blog.
Babies seeking closeness
Stratigios (2016) discusses babies’ experiences through the lens of belonging, describing how Peter seeks closeness from his educator, Cheryl, during feeding time. The author describes a particularly sweet moment where he is cradled in her arms and lap, leaning close to her chest as he drinks a bottle. At first glance, one may think that Peter is passively being fed; yet, his educator Cheryl gives a different story:
‘When Cheryl was giving Peter a bottle she commented, ‘He can do it himself, but, no, most of the time we still do it this way’. When I enquired whether this was Peter’s preference or Cheryl’s own, she replied, ‘I think it’s a combination. If he didn’t want it he’d certainly let me know that’’ (274).
In other words, Peter uses feeding time to connect with Cheryl, actively choosing to seek physical and emotional connection in this special moment. Literature on childminding foregrounds close relationships as part of delivering quality provision, describing it as a hallmark of the sector (Reyes, Rumper and Khamis, 2025; Ang and Tabu, 2018). This positioning can overlook babies’ contribution to these close relationships, whereas this paper draws us back towards understanding how babies actively seek and create closeness with their caregivers. It might not be through feeding – it might be through sharing stories or playing in a particular way – but what Peter’s story ultimately teaches us is that closeness is co-created. Part of quality provision in childminding is therefore tuning in to what babies are showing us about what they desire and want to share.
Babies navigating peer relationships
Peter also experiments with belonging as he navigates his relationships with peers. The author spotlights how belonging can create tension as children test limits in social relationships. In one instance, Peter attempts to take a red pushcar from his peer. Stratigios suggests that this is less about wanting the car, and more about not wanting his peer to have it, controlling access to the desirable item. However, when reflecting on this situation through the lens of quality provision and babies’ voices, we can interpret Peter’s behaviours as testing the social dynamics, feeling out his place in family day care, and asserting his desires.
Importantly, this moment rebuffs harmful discourses that reduce babies to helpless receptacles of care. In their paper that explores how baby room leaders construct babyhood, Halls and Sakr (2025:26) point to the importance of thinking about babies as ‘competent and capable social actors as well as vulnerable and needing care.’ One cannot exist without the other, and both should be honored in practice. Peter draws us into the former, showing us that babies are active participants in social life, trying to make sense of the world and their place in it. Childminders can support babies as they navigate their relationships by creating spaces where they can exercise choices and explore boundaries with support in ways that feel meaningful to them.
What are the implications of that in our practice?
Across both examples, Peter shows us that quality is experienced through relationships. Whether seeking closeness with his trusted educator or navigating interactions with peers, he actively participates in creating experiences of belonging. Quality provision therefore involves not only caring for babies, but also recognising and supporting their participation in the social worlds they are part of.
I’d like to leave us on a very practical note, reflecting on how childminding practice could create more opportunities for those expressions of agency to emerge:
- Step back and attune to one baby in your care today. How are they seeking closeness with you? How are they navigating their relationships with peers?
- What practical steps can we take to support their choices, interests, and desires in those moments?
References
Ang, L. and Tabu, M. (2018) “Conceptualising Home-Based Child Care: A Study of Home-Based Settings and Practices in Japan and England,” International Journal of Early Childhood, 50, pp. 143–158. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-018-0218-8.
Halls, K., & Sakr, M. (2025). Constructions of babyhood among baby room leaders in the UK. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 23(1), 18-30. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X241279348
Reyes, C.R., Rumper, B. and Khamis, R. (2025) “Fostering Infant/Toddler Mental Health and Language in Underserved Family Child Care Settings,” Children (Basel), 12(8). Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/children12081044.
Stratigos, T. (2016). Babies and big boys: Power, desire and the politics of belonging in early childhood education and care. Global Studies of Childhood, 6(3), 268-282.
Sakr, M., Bonetti, S. & Halls, K. (2026) Childminding Babies: A Review of the Global Evidence on Conceptualising, Measuring and Supporting Quality in Childminding Provision for 0-2 Year Olds. Available online: https://childmindingbabies.blog/rapid-evidence-review/
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