The Tresillian Centre opened at 94 Rusden Street on Wednesday, with Minister for Regional Health Bronnie Taylor there to cut the honorary pink ribbon alongside Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall and nursing staff from across the region.

The cottage is a place where parents from Armidale and surrounds can receive ideas, suggestions and goal-setting advice for improving their relationship with a newborn child.

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An initial two- to three-hour consultation is organised through the Tresillian hotline, on referral via a GP or other health professional, then follow-up appointments are scheduled in-person or online, up until the child's third birthday.

Tresillian CEO Rob Mills said Armidale was chosen as a regional base for the 105-year-old early parenting organisation because families can drive in from one or two hours away for that day support service.

A Tresillian 2U van will also be unveiled in Inverell in coming weeks, as an on-the-road service to homes for those unable to travel to Armidale.

Nursing Unit Manager Trudie Laffan said parents' early interactions with their baby is very important because it sets the framework for the child's future relationships.

If those early attachments to the parents are secure then it will set the tone for the child as seeing other relationships as a safe place, she said.

"Babies can't self-regulate so they need a parent to keep them calm," Mrs Laffan said.

"But if the parent is not (calm), if they're in a mental health or domestic violent situation, homeless or facing other vulnerabilities and challenges then that affects the baby."

Mrs Laffan said nurses on site at the Tresillian Centre will therefore be able to sit with parents to help them learn their baby's language.

"Babies can't speak. They make all sorts of little noises. They will want to come towards the parent or pull away,"

"And it's about more than the baby just rubbing his or her eyes because they're tired. There are many little cues."

She said although nurses at the centre are not equipped to solve issues of poverty, domestic violence and other related issues, they are trained in trauma-informed care where it concerns the relationship between parent and baby.

This is when a parent might respond to a baby's reaction that triggers the "reptilian" part of the brain, she said.

"For example, the baby crying could trigger her and she might not be as responsive to the baby," Mrs Laffan said. "Because what we call the thinking part of our brain, the prefrontal cortex, has shut down."

"So that can be triggered if the parent has had bad experiences growing up, not just if they've been in a warzone."

Minister Bronnie Taylor said this is the eighth Tresillian Centre for regional NSW. "It's really important to me and is something I have worked really closely with Tresillian and the Gidget Foundation on."

A Tresillian spokesperson added that the most common feedback they've received has included: "life changing", "I can now enjoy being a mother" and "Our relationship is so much better."

The state government committed $12.2 million in the state budget to establish six new day service centres, including one in Armidale, to improve access to breastfeeding support, infant settling and sleep issues, and peri-natal anxiety and depression assistance.

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