Newborn babies often form strong connections to their primary caregiver, and other people who provide love and attention on a regular basis – including grandparents, paid caregivers and older siblings.
To create a strong attachment, spend time talking and touching your baby. Respond to their cues such as crying and rock and soothe them.
Physical Touch
Newborn infants rely on their parents for immediate and soothing responses to their cries, helping them develop trust and feel safe in the world.
Even though infants can form attachment relationships with people other than their parents, the primary one usually exists between mother and father. Other caregivers who provide loving interaction are equally significant to a baby’s wellbeing.
Holding and talking to your newborn while they rest in the crook of your arm promotes bonding. Touch is an early language, while babies respond to hearing your voice as well. At this stage they begin trying to express themselves, showing their mood through grunts and squeals. Some parents experience instant connection while for others it takes longer. This may be especially true if a mother experiences postpartum depression, has had a cesarean section or the baby has spent any time at hospital prior to or post birth.
Eye Contact
Newborns are naturally drawn to faces, and prefer looking directly into the eyes of their caregiver. This mutual gaze serves as an effective communication signal, signaling interest, connection and states of mind as well as synchronizing behavioral responses like vocalizations and brain activity.
Play peekaboo with your baby to establish eye contact and foster a sense of closeness, or use a red sticker on your forehead between your eyes; when they look at it, smile and make a noise of delight when they do! Direct eye contact may be overstimulating for some infants so use this strategy sparingly.
Babies develop their primary attachment with their primary caretaker and this relationship forms the foundation for healthy social development, communication and relationships. Babies also tend to form close ties with grandparents, paid carers and older siblings who provide regular loving care; if this relationship seems tenuous to you please reach out for professional assistance from either a pediatrician or child health nurse.
Listening
Babies use facial expressions and sounds to communicate, even before they can speak, which helps establish trust between themselves and you. Responding to nonverbal cues helps establish this sense of bonding – when your baby smiles at you, smile back; comfort them when they cry; or repeat their sounds vocalize with you to show that you’re listening if vocalizing occurs; babies also love hearing their parents voices!
An emotionally healthy relationship is vital to building lifelong, happy relationships, providing children with the safety they need to explore the world and learn to interact with others. Unfortunately, however, developing this deep emotional bond doesn’t happen automatically or immediately when faced with stress or illness – making kangaroo care and skin-to-skin holding essential for new mothers and infants to connect and foster secure attachment and baby-parent reassurance.
Be Honest
Newborns cannot plan ahead, so when parents respond quickly to their infant’s cries they learn that the world is safe. This doesn’t turn into spoiling; infants who form secure attachment bonds tend to grow into independent adults faster.
Babies form attachments with all people they come into contact with, but their primary relationships tend to form with adults who provide regular care – this may include grandparents, paid carers or older siblings. Remember that relationships require equal contributions from both sides; otherwise it will be impossible to forge strong emotional ties.
Bonding may take longer if a mother experiences postpartum depression or her baby spends time in neonatal intensive care after birth. If this is the case for you, talk with your ob-gyn or family physician regarding how best to care for your infant.https://www.youtube.com/embed/rA5G7gVDozU