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laughing baby playing with motherDr. 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

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What is Baby Sign Language?

Baby Sign Language for please

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

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by Jennifer Shakeel

beautiful baby girlRecently 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.

The tips I am going to share are great for babies of any age. As a matter of fact the older they get the more important these tips will become until they are about five or six years old. Children, especially infants are no different then you and I. They are comfort creatures, which means that they need the familiar in order to feel comfortable.
So let us say that baby is going to be babysat by a relative and they are going to have to be there for an extended period of time and they have not been there before. I strongly advise that you go into their nursery and pick up two or three things that they cherish. This could be the blanket that they sleep with each night, their favorite toy or book. Something that soothes them, make sure that it goes in the diaper bag for the visit. More on Helping Baby Adjust to New Environments

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by Jennifer Shakeel

Look at me! Happy young baby.. pushing up for the first time is a major milestone in your baby's developmentThe 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

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cute baby brushing her teethCaring 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.
 
You don’t have to wait for the first tooth to sprout to begin good oral hygiene. You don’t need a toothbrush and toothpaste just yet. A soft washcloth or gauze is all you need to get started on the road to healthy dental habits. Dampen the washcloth with a bit of lukewarm water and gently wipe the gums, both upper and lower. The best time to do this is after a meal.More on Caring for Your Baby's Teeth

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young toddler finger paintingby 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.

 Messy play stimulates the senses. The tactile experience gained during messy play helps little ones experience a variety of textures. During messy play, babies and toddlers are developing eye hand coordination and fine motor skills. What looks like a mess on the surface is truly a learning experience for your child.  
 
Fun and Messy Activities
 
A sand and water table is a great messy activity. In warm weather, this activity is perfect outside. When the weather is chilly, kids can still enjoy water play indoors. A small water table can be put on top of towels and filled with a small amount of water. The table can be filled with just water for younger infants and toddlers, if you are concerned about sand in the eyes.More on Benefits of Messy Play

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