Bonding with your baby (Draft - Best start)

baby and mother smiling at each other

Bonding with your baby (Draft - Best start)

Making the most out of opportunities to bond and build connections.

A child’s experiences in their early years shapes their rapidly developing brain. This is an important opportunity for you to give your baby the best start in life.

It is your baby’s experiences with you and with the world around them, that make connections in their brain. Babies may not come with a manual, but they certainly work hard to make themselves understood.

Their expressions, reactions, noises, and cries are the ways they communicate their needs and feelings and can be an indication of their mental wellbeing.

Knowing how to interpret their body language, facial expressions, noises, and cries can help parents to effectively meet their needs.

See below for tips on how to bond with your baby, and visit the Start for Life website: Building a close relationship with your baby

Tips for bonding

Some parents might expect an instant bond with their baby, but if it doesn’t happen straight away, it’s okay. It can take time to build that bond and there are simple things you can do to strengthen your connection, such as:

  • mirror your baby’s reactions and emotions - smile back if they have bright eyes, as this shows them that it’s OK to express those emotions
  • comfort your baby when they are crying - try soothing them with gentle rocking, speaking softly, or singing
  • enjoy playing face-to-face with your baby - this can be as simple as saying what they do and name what they see as you’re going about your routine
  • let your baby take breaks when they need them - show them that it’s OK if they need to try something different, or to just to rest
     

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