Your newborn baby will just love to be touched, picked up, held and cuddled. It is also important to talk, laugh and sing to your new child in order for them to recognize your voice. In fact, your baby will have been listening to your voice while even in the womb.
Around 10-12 weeks, your baby will respond by smiling for the first time. This is very rewarding for you and the father. It’s all about letting the baby know that he or she is loved and that you are there for them.
Bonding and attachment are normally instinctive, but sometimes your inability to cope with stress can be picked up by your baby and begin a vicious circle. It’s essential that you can learn ways to relax.
When your baby cries, it is not always food that it wants. In fact, your baby has no other means of communication apart from crying for attention. Some mothers instantly “shove” a bottle of milk or a teat into their baby’s mouth to stop it crying. Unfortunately, if your baby is crying because it has wind or colic, this can make it worse. Your baby may cry because of a wet or dirty diaper or just to know that you are there. Clearly, a pick-up and cuddle will suffice.
After a while, you will be able to tell the difference between a “pain” cry, a “hungry” cry, or just an “attention-seeking” cry. Then you can respond accordingly and try not to let the baby sense any agitation.
Cuddling, talking, and singing, humming and making your baby laugh by repetition are all ways of establishing the beginnings of a loving relationship. Many parents read simple repetitive stories over and over again, which help to develop this relationship.
Try not to leave your baby in an uncomfortable position with wet or dirty diapers for too long. Both you and the baby’s father need to help develop loving relationships so that the father needs to change diapers, hold and cuddle his child and talk as well.
Reading or reciting nursery rhymes is helpful for your child’s development. The sound of your voice, your tone and facial expressions all help with the bonding. Playing games like hide and seek, peek-a-boo and anything that’s fun all help in establishing a loving relationship.
A loving relationship is what makes a child’s life happy and secure, and will go far in establishing a permanent and loving family relationship into adulthood.
Olive Youngly