The Three T's of Bonding with Baby

For new parents, bringing home a baby can be scary, exhilarating and joyful, all at the same time. With all the talk of bonding with babies, it can be easy to wonder how to forge a bond if it isn't felt immediately. Most parents admit to an instant feeling of overwhelming love as soon as they see the little bundle that took nine months to grow. It's instinctual to feel protective toward babies. Nature designed it to be so by providing infants with proportions and features that naturally incline parents to take care of their children: the round faces, the button noses, and the helplessness are all biologically ordained to make infants irresistible.

If you're wondering what you can do to create a lifelong bond with your baby, remember the three T's:

Touch
Humans are social animals. Like other higher level mammals such as apes, we thrive best in communities. If you've ever watched a nature program on TV that featured our close genetic relatives like chimpanzees, you'll notice how much they touch each other, through grooming, play, and care. Studies conducted on baby monkeys showed that when given the choice between a cold wire food container or a soft, plush object, the monkeys always chose to cuddle with the plush objects (often a towel), even though the soft objects provided no food. They would eat what they wanted from the wire object and then go back to the softness of the towel. Human babies are designed to be touched and touched constantly. They are virtually helpless when born and without proper care and feeding, they wouldn't survive. Through everyday activities such as feeding, diaper changes, play, and rocking, babies learn to appreciate touch. It comforts and soothes. How many times have you seen a baby crying, only to quiet when he's picked up?