Dr. Caron B. Goode
The bonding period for you and your baby begins long before birth. As your baby grows and develops within you, the special relationship between you and your child is already beginning to form. This special relationship, full of intense emotion, a deep sense of connection and a strong attachment is what drives a mother to feed her baby in the middle of the night or comfort her when she’s crying. This same bond waters the roots of trust and open communication with your baby and teaches him or her that she is loved, valued and respected.
While some new moms may feel instantly attached to their babies immediately following their birth, other moms need a bit more time to adjust to their new role and physically, emotionally and hormonally recover from their birthing experience.
Wherever you are on your bonding journey, it’s important to know that bonding is a process and not an end result. Each day you respond to your baby’s needs, gaze into her eyes, or shower her with your love and affection, your bond is growing deeper, wider and more intense.
As you learn to interact with your baby, use these 20 tips that can you grow your bond with your baby.
Bonding with Your Baby
1) Bond through Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding promotes closeness between a mother and baby. When you breastfeed your baby you’re guaranteed to hold your baby close 8 to 18 times per day. If you’re able, consider breastfeeding your baby.
2) Bond through Touch
Your baby will respond to the warmth of your touch. Skin to skin contact will also help your baby feel secure, stay warm and promote bonding. Lay your baby against your chest and cover your baby with a lightweight blanket.
3) Bond through Eye Contact
Your baby will gaze into your eyes for hours. Your newborn will typically see you best when your face is about one foot away from her body. When feeding your baby, make faces, smile and look into your baby’s eyes to promote bonding.
4) Bond through Sounds
Your baby loves your voice. Sing and talk to your baby often. Your voice is a familiar sound to your baby and your baby will feel comforted by hearing you sing or speak. Your baby will also be soothed if you lay him on your chest with his head near your heart. The familiar sound of your heartbeat will relax your baby.More on 20 Tips for Bonding with Your Baby
Filed under Baby by 
What is Baby Sign Language?
Baby Sign Language is a collection of signs to assist parents/carers and educators, in facilitating early communication with their pre-verbal babies. It is also a wonderful tool used to help motivate children with their learning of literacy and mathematics. Baby Sign Language is exposing your child to gestures or the vocabulary of a second language, such as ASL.
Baby Sign Language is easy to use with no prior signing knowledge or experience. You are probably already exposing your child to some proper signs, without even realizing it.
Why should I sign to my baby?More on Baby Sign Language In Your Home
Filed under Baby, Baby Communication by
by Jennifer Shakeel
Recently my family went on a much needed vacation. We were lucky and were able to get away for ten wonderful days. For some this would’ve been long enough, for me… I could still be sitting on the beach. Anyway, the vacation inspired this article. We just had a baby in December, and this was her very first vacation… filled with tons of strange people and strange places. Our biggest concern was how she would handle this. Overall she did wonderful, bless her little soul, and I am going to share with you ways to help your baby adjust to new environments, whether on vacation or not.
Filed under Baby, Baby Development by
by Jennifer Shakeel
The purpose of this article is really to inform and remind all parents of what to expect in the first year of your baby’s life. It was also a nice refresher for me, being that there is a 10.5 year difference between our middle child and our baby. While doctors and friends say, “Oh you’ve done this before,” with such a gap in between our children I feel like a first time mom, again. So read on and learn what to expect and how you can encourage your baby to grow and develop.
In one year, a baby undergoes more development than he will ever experience for the rest of his life. You can look forward to plenty of excitement as you watch your baby first lift his head, smile, and speak. To keep his motivation high, give him constant positive feedback for each new development. Each month of life has its developmental milestones, so use this guide to monthly milestones to chart your baby’s growth.
The first month after your baby is born is fairly uneventful, at least as far as milestone are concerned. Your baby will spend the majority of his time sleeping, unless he is colicky, or is like my daughter who thinks that sleep is for “sissies.” However, when he is awake, you may notice that he is physically responding to his environment. He will gaze at objects around him, and move his arms and legs in a jerky way. He may also grasp your finger, and if you stroke his cheek he will physically react. More on Encouraging Baby Development – The First Year
Filed under Baby, Baby Development by
Caring for your baby’s teeth is important, even though she will ultimately loose them all anyway. The baby teeth act as spacers for the grown teeth. They also help babies eat a variety of food textures and help speech develop properly as baby grows. Preventing painful tooth decay is another good reason to clean baby’s teeth every day.
by Patricia Hughes
For adults, messy play can be a lot of work and feel stressful. However, there are many benefits to messy play. Early childhood education experts say that play is the work of the child. This is true for all kids, but especially for babies and toddlers. Don’t be afraid of the mess. Roll up your sleeves and enjoy some messy play time with your little one.
