When you think of depression or anxiety you think of adults or even teens. But a growing number of parents are actually getting toddlers and infants into treatment.

Jayda Garza is a happy, thriving 3-year-old. But for mom, Kari Garza, raising her hasn't always been easy.

“It was kind of scary, because I never, I was like always worried about what my place was with her,” she said.

When Jayda was just a baby, serious power struggles began. Her daughter's constant meltdowns seemed out of the ordinary. They left Kari confused.

"A lot of times I would tell myself that I was not connecting with her,” she said.

She felt helpless, so she turned to psychotherapist Kent Hoffman. He's a leader in the growing field of infant mental health.

“We don't put babies on the couch,” he said. “We're looking for emotional struggles in the relationship between parent and child -- that's where the action is.”

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Baby therapy helps parents take non-verbal cues from their toddlers.

Most families seek treatment because of behavior problems. According to experts, they show up in infants as trouble eating, sleeping, or seeming unresponsive. In toddlers, signs can be excessive tantrums, whining, clinginess or trying to take charge of the relationship.

"We as parents are hard-wired to love our children, but oftentimes we've got blind spots nobody ever told us about,” Dr. Hoffman said.

He uses videotape to help reveal those blind spots to families.  He taped baby Jayda react when mom left the room. When she returned, Jayda wouldn't let her mom comfort her. Finally Kari got her daughter to respond.

“The issue there was her fear of taking charge and her daughter was confused by that,” Hoffman said.

Now Kari and her husband have applied what they've learned. It's helping not only Jayda but her baby sister as well.  

“You just really get down to the nitty-gritty of what they need,” Kari said. “And I think that's essential.”

Therapists say the parent's role is crucial in treatment. They can help their child by better understanding and meeting the child's special needs.

Right now the University of Washington’s Center on Infant Mental Health is working with legislators in Olympia. They hope to increase funding for infant mental health programs.