5 Ways to Bond With Your Newborn

The first days and months of life are among the most crucial in development.  It is during infancy that physical, emotional, and psychological care can shape a person’s personality permanently.  Research has shown that “our ability to love, trust, and resolve conflict stems in part from how we are treated as infants,” says Dr. Jeff Simpson, Ph.D of the University of Minnesota.  In layman’s speak: bonding with your baby is vital to their development.  It is how they learn who and how to trust.  It is how they acquire their first understanding of the many aspects of the world, from language to interpersonal dynamics.

When an infant is well cared for, consistently given love, warmth, and care, they feel safe in their home environment.  This feeling of being safe is the foundation of emotional wellbeing in children.  So how does one make their baby feel safe?  How does one ensure this vital bonding?

• Make Eye Contact

Eye contact is very important in infancy.  It is one of the ways infants respond to welcome attention.  It is also a sign of brain development.  Making frequent eye contact with your baby helps give them a sense of trust and connection.

• Talk and Sing

Your voice is comforting to your baby.  Spend time singing and talking to your baby while holding and facing them.  This way, whenever your baby can hear you speak or sing they know that they are home and safe.  It will also help you when you need to set your baby down in order to do something.  You can continue speaking or singing and they will also feel comforted.

• Cuddle

Touch is one of the best ways to bond with your baby.  Skin to skin contact makes your baby feel warm and safe, and it releases the hormone oxytocin, also known as the love hormone.  This hormone promotes feelings of love and attachment.  It is just one among the various hormones released in the bonding process, each one contributing to the development of language, memory, and thought.

• Show and Tell

Spend time showing your baby different things.  Show them how lights turn on and off, how water feels on their fingers, their toys and books, and other things you might find.  This will help your child get to know and understand their world while strengthening their bond with you as they share their first moments of wonder with you.

• Feed

Perhaps the most primal way that your child bonds with you is when they are fed by you.  The process of feeding gives your baby a sense of who to trust and an understanding of who cares for them, and this helps them grow mentally and physically.

When bonding with your baby, be as present as possible.  Put down your phone and turn off the television, and just be with your infant (and your young children).  Being present and successfully bonding with your infant can help diminish their likelihood of developing sleep disorders, digestive problems, depression, obesity, and memory problems at a later time in life.