Are you a new mom or mom-to-be? Or for that matter, a father or father-to-be? Are you anxious about how to bond with your little one?
Well, child bonding is an attachment between parents and their infants. Bonding makes parents want to fill their newborn with affection, love to safeguard and look after their little one.
What Does Science Tell?
Scientists are still exploring child bonding. They reveal that the powerful connections between parents and their kids deliver the baby’s first impression of intimate connections and foster a feeling of safety and optimistic self-esteem.
Also, bonding with a newborn can affect the kid’s social skills and cognitive development.
Importance Of Bonding With Your Infant
We know bonding is important for a baby. Infants are often quick to bond instantly. On the other hand, parents may have mixed feelings about it.
Some parents realize a strong connection within the first moments or days after their baby’s birth. However, for others, it may take a little bit longer.
Several parents think that bonding is an effect of normal caregiving. You may not even realize it’s occurring until you see your baby’s face for the first time.
The Ways Of Baby Bonding
When you’re a new mom, it always takes a while to recognize your infant and all the ways you can interact with them:
- Touch
Touch becomes a first language as babies react to skin-to-skin connection. It’s a calming feeling for both you and your infant while stimulating your infant’s active growth and development.
- Eye Contact
Eye-to-eye contact gives significant communication at an intimate range.
Infants can observe moving items with their sights. Your infant attempts fast on to recognize your facial manners and body movements.
- Voice
Infants often like human voices and relish vocalizing in their early efforts at communication. Babies always like to hear your dialogues, as well as your narratives of their plays and habits.
Also Read: Strong Women raise Strong Women: Here is how to raise your daughter to be strong.
How to Make an Attachment With The Little One
Bonding with your baby is maybe one of the most enjoyable characteristics of infant care.
- Infant Massage
Babies, particularly premature babies and those with medical difficulties, may react to infant massage. Since infants aren’t as strong as grown-ups, you’ll want to massage your baby very softly.
- Breastfeeding and Bottle-feeding
Breastfeeding and bottle-feeding are both normal ways of bonding.
Babies respond to the scent and touch of their mamas, as well as the responsiveness of the parents to their necessities.
Adoptive Parents And Bonding
Adoptive parents may be worried about bonding with their baby. Although it might occur shortly for some than others, adopted infants and their parents can connect just as well as biological parents and their kids.
Factors That May Affect Child Bonding
- Infant’s Face
An infant’s face is the main aspect of communication, it plays a significant role in bonding and attachment.
- Hormones
Several hormones can also considerably affect bonding.
Occasionally some mothers have problems bonding with their babies if their hormones are storming or if they have postpartum depression.
- Prolonged, Difficult Delivery
Bonding can also be halted if a mom is tired and in pain following a lengthened, risky delivery.
Summing Up!
There is no need to worry about bonding with your little ones. Sometimes it may take a bit of time to connect with them. However, you can surely get attached to them.
When you spend time watching, touching, and talking with your infant, quickly, your newborn will understand you and respond to your smell, skin, voice, and touch.
Well, good luck, and have happy parenting!
Image courtesy: The Today Show
Udisha Srivastav is a Freelance Content Writer at Femsay.com