Bonding with your baby can begin with simple actions that show him you care about him and want to take care of him. Try:
  • Holding him against your skin when feeding or cradling
  • Giving him a gentle massage

When babies feel your touch, they usually feel comforted.

  • If your little one is being fussy, try singing, reciting poetry and nursery rhymes, or reading aloud as you sway or rock your baby gently in a chair.
Brain Science for Your Baby

 

What is "attachment" or "bonding"?   Attachment is defined by psychologists as the lasting emotional bond that humans feel toward special people in their lives. Bonding with your baby is the most important work for you and your baby!  Learning to "read" your baby's cues and to comfort him when he's upset builds that bond.  We know from science that babies and young children who are bonded with (or attached to) their caregivers grow up to be happier, healthier, and more confident and curious. And it all starts so early!   For more on why attachment is so important to building a healthy brain, go to:  

 

Video: Why Bonding is Important
A Baby Buffer Prescription for Your Baby
  • A baby who is awake but active (squirming, flapping arms, or kicking legs) or fussing will be less able to focus on you. The baby may start to cry when you try to touch her. These are signs that your baby may be getting over-stimulated, tired or hungry. Help him calm down by putting him in his crib to sleep, or trying to feed him.
  • When you're a new parent, it often takes a while to understand your newborn and all the ways you can interact. If you are worried that your baby does not like to be touched, consult with your baby's doctor.

A baby Buffer Prescription for You        

  • If you hold your baby and touch him right after birth, this connection will help you feel close with your baby.
  • Adoptive parents may be concerned about feeling close to their baby if they cannot hold them right after they were born. Although this connection might happen sooner for some than others, adopted babies and their parents can bond just as well as biological parents and their children by spending time together with caring touch, respectful talk, and play.
 

 
 

What Your Baby Can Do - Developmental Milestones 

 

Your baby will love being held and touched by you from the very beginning, this is the beginning of your relationship with your baby. Click on the links below to find out what your baby should be able to do:

  
Baby Buffer Blog
*By our friend Gene

Your Crying Baby

 

Greetings and salutations from the center of your living world - and, of course I mean your BABY! That Special Kid, or TSK for short.

 

I'm Gene, a special advisor for you, and I live in every cell of your body and your baby's (TSK's) body!  I live in the DNA parts which are the instructions that tell all the rest of your body what to do. I'm a little bossy that way!

Today I want to talk to you about one of the most helpless feelings in the world; being a sleep-deprived parent of a crying infant!  This is pretty common and can lead to depression for parents or anyone in the household. 

Read Gene's full blog here *Gene's blog and web content written by Greta McFarland, MD, FAAP 

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