Bonding with Baby:10 Heartwarming Activities for New Parents .

Have you ever thought of becoming A new Parent and how you should bond with your Baby? Becoming a parent is a development process or stage filled with love ,joy and responsibility. One of the greatest beautiful journey is the opportunity to bond with your new baby. Bonding not only plays the role of togetherness and closeness ,but also strengthens the emotional and cognitive development.

Most of the New Parents have worries on how to create those heartwarming moments. I have prepared for you 10 Heartwarming activities that can help you strengthen the bond with your baby.

1. Skin-to-skin contact 

From the time your baby is born, you should practice skin to skin contact or kangaroo. Make sure everytime you hold your baby against you bare skin either on the chest which promotes physical closeness and warmth.It also helps in offering comfort and security.

2 .Bath time

Bath time can be fun and bonding experience. Gently wash your baby with soap,even allowing them to touch the soft cotton which  you are using to wash her. Sometimes the kid tend to wash herself,just let her wash even if it means rubbing herself with the cotton. Splash water and allow them to tap the water to produce the sound ,which helps them to enjoy.

3. Baby Massage

 After the baby has taken the bath,take the chance to gently massage your baby. While you're holding your baby close, gradually start stroking their legs and back. Then move on to other areas such as arms. Your baby should be calm,alert when giving massage.

Benefits of Baby Massage

• Promotes social, emotional and cognitive development.
• Helps a baby to relax and release tensions of daily stimuli.
• Decreases irritability and excessive crying.
• Reduces gas,colic and intestinal difficulties.

It's not best time for a massage ,when your baby turns their head away from you or stiffens their arms(according to Mayo Clinic).You should not do massage immediately after the child has eaten, because it will make the baby to vomit.

4. Eye Contact and Smiles

Baby are naturally drawn to faces that smile and eye contact. You can make various facial expressions,smile and gaze into your baby's eyes which makes the baby to learn non-verbal communication and develop relationship skills. For example when you smile and make eye contact, you show your child how to relate warmly with others.

Also you can try to imitate what your child is saying thus developing listening skills to the child.

5. Tummy Time

Tummy Time refers to placing baby on their stomach, while they are awake and someone is watching them. You can start a tummy time a day or two days after they are born. As your child gets older,you can have longer,more regular sessions throughout the day. You can start by:

1. Spreading the blanket or a mat on a clear area of the floor.
2. Place the a rolled up towel under baby's arms to help prop them up slightly.
3. Put a toy within baby's reach to help baby interact with the surrounding and learn to play.
4. Then sit infront of the baby to encourage interaction and bonding.

Benefits of tummy Time

     a)Strengthens baby's neck, shoulder and           arms for easier sit up,crawl and walk.    

      b)Prevents flat spots on back of the                   baby's  head.

       c) Helps in motor skills 

6. Baby Sign Language

Try to use simple baby sign language that are easily understood by your baby. You can use various signs to mean various activities. For example ,when the baby wants to breastfeed ,you can use your mouth by holding your both lips together and start mimicking

When feeling hungry  and she wants to eat you can you use both your fingers and hold them together as you continue rubbing them close to your mouth or you can make a yarn or make a C shape with hands as if you are holding the cup then move it  to your mouth.

When saying "Yes"you can use 👍,when saying "No " you can use your index ☝️ finger and shake it .

Baby Sign Language reduces frustrations and strengthens your understanding of each other.

7. Explore Nature Together

Taking your child around your backyard,either in the garden,flower gardens and tear some flowers 🌻 🌹 🌺 or walking around the forest,makes the child to enjoy the natural nature of creation. You can also try to lie down and watch the sky ,or even at night you can take him and watch the stars and moon. The cool and fresh air, sights and sounds of the birds,provides a stimulating experience for both of you.

8. Singing and lullabies

Singing your favourite baby songs to him/her makes your baby to enjoy the melody and sounds of your voice,and provide comfort and familiarity.It also helps in good brain development and makes the baby to a fall asleep easily.

9. Reading A loud

You can choose age appropriate story books and start reading aloud to your baby. Even if the baby doesn't understand the flow of the story,but the baby can hear the soothing sounds of your voice . Reading helps in the language development and bonding.

10. Baby wearing

Baby wearing is the practice of carrying a baby in a sling or baby carrier. Baby wearing promotes attachment and bonding.

It also makes parents to be more responsive to their baby's needs and mother's are more likely to breastfeed easily.

Conclusion 

Bonding with your new baby is an incredible and heartwarming journey. Taking bath time,baby Massage, singing lullabies, reading aloud creates beautiful moments. Each child has got her own uniqueness and the most important thing is to be present, patient and responsive to your babies cues. Cherish these early moments and they are the foundations for a strong,loving bond that will last a lifetime. 

Do you have any other tips on creating bonding with your baby? You can help me in the comment section and help me to share the content to New Parents in the city.

Top tips for new parents: 10 guides for new parents.

Have you ever thought of becoming a parent and having your own family. New parents sometimes they have fear and they don't know how parenting is. New parents they sought tips from various sources ,others which are good or others misleading. When starting a family and becoming a parent it needs patience and resilience. Marriage has ups and downs,so you must accept and move on. The following tips will help new parents in their life.

1. Trust yourself

As a new parent you need to trust your instinct. Trust that you should make a  responsible parent like others. You may find many advice from the parents who have managed,seek from the books or Internet , advice from friends ,relatives and other people. Just take what's good for you and toss the rest. You know your baby better than the other person,if you really need any advice just consult your doctor.

2. Ask help

As a new parent if you feel you need a help from others,just ask. Don't die with your problem. Asking help doesn't make you to be more less parenting.  Relatives,friends they can help you to babysit and you can take that  time to take a shower,sleep for a while or you have a work. Don't tend to pretend that you are a super mum or super dad. Asking help or allowing people to help you,it creates good relationship.

Don't be afraid on how they will take it. But have a positive mind.

3. Join parenting groups

As a new parent who is struggling in raising a child or children,try as much as possible to join parenting groups either in Facebook, LinkedIn Twitter and other social media networks. In those groups there are a lot of questions which are being asked and they are answered. 

Remember to take  good advise and leave those that are not helping.  Through those groups,you will learn alot what you never knew in parenting. In those groups you will learn on how to feed your baby,care for your baby.

4. Be open minded

As a new parent, don't just assume that you know everything about parenting. Be ready to seek advice,and put off the old theories and accept the new ones. Be flexible in your life and don't have a preconceived notions and ignore the new ideas.

5. Always communicate.

Don't be afraid to communicate with your baby. Even if the baby doesn't talk back or understand what you are talking,just speak to him/her. Communicating with a baby helps in development of communication skills. It may sound weird when someone finds you talking to your infant. But that one should not scare you . You can do non-verbal communication by waving the hands,smiling and see whether the child can do it back.

6. Don't compare

New parents always try to do comparison in children. Every child has got his/her unique way of development. Don't just look at someone's baby for example she has started walking at 9 months and yours has not moved even in one step or she can't make steps while holding objects. Every child has her own milestones.

Just be patient and as you keep on having more children you will understand the differences. Always read on child's development stages, that's when you will accept.

7. Babies always cry

Remember that babies always cry. As a new parent you should not take that one as a disease. Most of the infants moreso at 1-5 months they tend to cry ,due to colic or they have been just be born and they need womb warmth. Others may cry due to hunger,they want to sleep,others are sick, overtired,upset and you need to differentiate and understand how these babies cry and how their sounds means. Just make sure you care for your baby by using the right petroleum jelly that doesn't bring itching on the skin of the baby .

8. Get time to rest.

I know it's difficult to sleep when you are supposed to have some other activities. Sometimes other children won't allow you to sleep. As a new parent you are advised to sleep when the baby is also a sleep and make sure that there's no disturbance. You can't sleep when the baby is a wake, because he needs your attention.

Sleeping makes you to relax,refresh your mind,it makes you to regain your energy and also makes you to forget about the difficult time you have been having with the baby.

9. Be patient.

Parenting needs patience. You shouldn't expect the baby to grow instantly. There should be stages when parenting. Sometimes babies tend to be terrible and annoying, because of crying,they don't want to be left alone,to eat or sleep,you need to practice patience and persistent.

Impatient of new parents leads to poor upbringing. You can't expect a baby to act like a grown up,the baby needs his/her time to develop fully. Don't have so much expectations from your baby that are impossible.

10. Love yourself

Having a new baby and being a new parent, doesn't make you not to make yourself tidy. Yeah I know parenting a little baby plus the house chores if you don't have a nanny or anybody who can help, sometimes you may forget even to take a bath, especially if you have some other children.

The children may tend to cause chaos,they make the room untidy , disarrange the things,break some items and you find you are caught up when cleaning. Just use five minutes and take a bath. 

Sometimes your body posture may change and you become more fatty, because you have baby fats that are yet to be reduced. Your skin may start peeling off, just look at the mirror and speak good things about you. You  may see your fellow friends with good shape, don't disregard yourself or avoid to hang out with them. 

Just put yourself together and believe that you will regain your shape. Even after some months you may start slowly going for yoga,or gyms to return back your shape.

Conclusion 

Parenting it needs patience, loving yourself,asking help when need be, asking questions where you don't know about certain things, expecting stress because the baby may not be sleeping or may be sick.

Parenting as new parent can be tiresome but at the end ,you become a victor when  the baby who used to be making or giving you sleepless night has become a grown up and can do his/her own things.

If you have other tips don't forget to share them in the comments section.