how to socialise the kittens

hi i am new to this site
i was wondering if anyone could help me my cat gave birth 2 1/2 weeks ago to 5 kittens unfortunatly the last and smallest one died that night and we are now down to 4 kittens all of them and mum are healthy
my question is mum is a really skitty cat - she has never really trusted no one we took her in after taking her off some children that had found her at roughly 4 weeks old so therefore assuning she was a wild kitten the only person she will come to is me and that is at a push she spends most of her time under my bed and that is where she gave birth to the kittens and my question is what is the best was to socialise the kittens if i cant get her to come out i have tryed bringing the babies downstairs 2 at a time to get them used to being handled but all they do is cry and this is distressing mum who sits upstairs and yams untill i put them back i really dont want to have these kittens unsocialised ir skitty like thier mum but i am now at a loss as of what to do she is getting spayed as soon as the kittens are weaned thanks in advance

i forgot to mention i tryed to bring them downstairs into the darkest and quietest corner of the sitting room but mum just carried them back up under the bed

Welcome to TCS.

At 2-1/2 weeks, the best thing for the kittens is to stay with mom. Instead of taking them to another part of the house, stay in the bedroom with them. Handle the kittens for just a minute or two several times a day. Keep them close by so momma cat can see that they're safe, and put them back as soon as she gets agitated. When the kittens start exploring on their own you'll be able to spend more time playing with them.

Do you have other cats (or dogs) in the house? Socialization includes the kitties learning to live with other animals, not just with humans. I think they actually learn more from other animals than they do from us.

I think wait another week before diving in and working on socialization with the kittens. In about a week hold them and comfort them more and introduce them to toys.

Another good time to try is when mum is eating BUT stay on her level,ie sitting down right next to the bed with the kitten on your lap, My Bella has always been happy for me to handle her babies from birth( i try to limit the first few weeks to box clear up!) but I still stay low and close to her and let her see where the baby is at all times mainly to reduce her anxiety .If she comes over give her some fuss too but show her you are willing to put the kitten back on your own.......build the trust a bit with her so she knows you aren't a threat before you try to leave the room with the babies.