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Home › Articles › New Dads/Newborn Issues › Bonding From the Beginning

Bonding From the Beginning

Use Baby's Senses to Create That Special Connection

By Kelly Burgess

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Physical Development
If you're following the current recommendation of putting your baby on his or her back to sleep, then you need to begin to balance that in the third week of life by offering some tummy time.

Tummy time is merely a catchphrase for putting Baby on his stomach for a period of time to even out his development. It's important because babies who are always on their backs can develop a condition known as "occipital plagiocephaly of positional origin," which means that Baby's head is flatter on one side than the other from always lying in the same position.

Because they spend much of their first few weeks on their backs, babies will often fuss or cry when placed on their stomachs. It's important not to give up, though, because besides preventing a misshapen head, tummy time is important for your baby's overall physical development. As Baby pushes herself up on her arms and lifts her head, she strengthens her arm, neck and back muscles.

The best way to encourage Baby to stay on her stomach is to get down on yours. Rub her back, talk to her, show her how to push up on her arms – it may firm you up as well! As Baby gets older and more secure on his or her stomach, offer brightly-colored toys for him to look at and reach for. This will help motivate Baby to creep and crawl, which is the next important step in physical development.

Tips for Playing With Your Newborn

Newborns are amazingly intelligent and able to "play" by imitation. Try some of these games starting at about 3 weeks of age:

When you are holding your baby, but he is not feeding, slowly stick your tongue out of your mouth and then slide it back in. Smile at Baby. Wait a minute and repeat. Baby will copy you after a few repetitions.

Hold Baby up to the mirror, your faces side by side, and look at him and talk to him. He will recognize you and try to make sense of the "other" baby. He may even wiggle and flail his arms in response to the two faces.

On a piece of white paper, draw a very basic, black-outlined face: Eyes, nose, mouth, ears. Allow Baby to study it. Babies love contrast and recognize the basic features of a face.

Dangle a brightly-colored object in front of his eyes and watch him track its movements.

Watch for the following signals that Baby is done playing:

  • Turning away
  • Breaking eye contact
  • Frowning or grimacing;
  • Arching the back
  • Crying
  • Squirming

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