15+ Tips for Bonding With Your Infant as a Father

Bonding with your baby involves spending as much as time possible with them and showering them with immense affection Now, bonding with the infant comes naturally to the mother as there are multiple opportunities for it while the mother is breastfeeding the child. For fathers, however, it entails some extra effort. 

What are the things that fathers can do to bond with their infants?

• Bottle feed their babies whenever the opportunity arises.
• Change diapers
• Soothe the baby
• Play with your infant
• Cuddle and touch your  baby as much as possible
• Volunteer to put your baby to sleep

Nonetheless, it is quite easily possible and a very fulfilling

Experience. The bond between the father and the infant is of vital importance and has a long-lasting effect on the child’s psyche. Playing and spending time with their infants helps the fathers also to reduce stress and be more calm and patient. 

Things That Can be Done to Bond with Infant

Feeding Time

Though it is the mother who usually suckles her infants, the father too can take on the feeding duty sometimes and bottle feed the baby. This will not provide the mother with some much needed time to rest but will also aid in father-infant bonding time.

Hold your baby close to your chest and look into its eyes as you feed it. This will allow your image to be imprinted on the baby’s mind.

Help the mother with her night duties of taking care of your infant

Being parents to an infant is hard. It involves being constantly alert to all your baby’s needs and many sleepless nights. During this time it is essential that the fathers step up and become a team with the mothers.

This will provide the mother with some respite as well as strengthen your bond with the infant. Change the diapers, rock the baby to sleep, bottle-feed it if it is hungry. Be the best hands-on dad ever!

Soothe the baby’s tears

Infants are known to cry a lot, because, that is the only way they can express their discomfort. Be attentive to your infant’s needs.

Try to calm down your baby and stop her tears. With time, the bond between your baby and you will reach such a level that only your loving touch will be enough to soothe her and stop her from wailing.

Make your infant smile

Infants can sense a friendly touch from an unfriendly one. They are very responsive to a loving voice, touch, and even a familiar face. Make funny faces, sing for your infant, lunge him up in the air – do all kinds of things to make your baby smile as much as possible.

A walk in the park makes for a good bonding time

Take your baby for a stroll in the park. You can carry your infant in a walker or in a baby bag. Talk to the baby in a low soothing voice while you look at the birds and the trees.

Keep time aside just to play with your baby

Take some time off your busy schedule and make it a point to keep aside at least an hour every day to play with your child. This helps in the production of happy hormones in both the father and the baby and reduces cortisol levels in the father.

Be a part of the baby’s bedtime ritual

Make sure you are around while the baby is being put to sleep. You could make a ritual of kissing the child, singing to it while putting it to bed. It will make sure that your baby feels secure and has a good night’s sleep.

Give your little one a soothing massage

Infants are very sensitive and responsive to touch. One of the best ways to relax babies and also make them feel good is a good oil massage for fifteen to twenty minutes. This is a great way of bonding with your little one and also making him/her familiar to your touch. 

Spend time with your kid in the garage

When you next go to the garage to repair or develop something, take your child with you. Explain to let them help what you’re going to do. You will need some time to complete the task, but it will be a fun activity for your kid. 

Dance along with your little one

If you can’t dance, it doesn’t matter. Sway side by side, move around in a circle, hop up and down. Throw on a fantastic playlist for a family dance group. Hearing music together builds strong family connections and forms meaningful memories.

Make sure you follow a strict routine

Fix up a particular activity that you will positively do with your kid at least twice a week. You can engage with your little one in making breakfast during weekends and enjoy a meal together; you can even take out your little one during lunch hours. You can even give the duty of sorting out your morning clothes to your kid. It might not have to be something extravagant but it will be a great way of bonding.

Surprise your little one at times

Come home early one day from work, even though it’s just half an hour early. Alternatively, take the day or morning off and make your children enjoyable, particularly though it’s one day a year. You can even get his/her favorite chocolate or cake on your way back home from work. These are small yet valuable things that will make a difference in the long run.

Write along with your kid

Get a joint diary and write back and forth to each other for children and guardians. This is a popular dad-daughter or dad-son journal because it allows you a magic way to get your child open to keep you attached. Or, this daddy and me art journal fits well if you want to share a journal. This will also develop the habit of writing and drawing It will also help your child to express better and develop socializing skills.

Take your kid to your workplace along with you

Show him/her workplace at least once. Display them your desk, where your cafe will fill up, and the conference room where your monthly status meetings will keep you awake. When you’re away from them, remind them what you do all day long. This will help your little one to get familiar with your lifestyle and daily routine. Your little one will gradually realize how hard you work to fulfill all his/her desires.

Say impactful things at times

Remember your child’s unconditional love by regularly expressing it out loud. You can say “you’re precious to me” or “I’m so happy that I’m your daddy.” It is very important to be vocal about feelings for your kid. Kids perceive whatever you express. It is important to make sure that your kid feels attached to you and also feels secure. Make sure you do not say harsh things always. Be patient and shower him/her with your unconditional love and affection.

Cook dinner at times

No matter whether you are a chef or your wife is normally cooking, choose a night and dine with the children. Take them to decide what to do and then include them in their jobs. They are more likely to eat a meal they contributed to as an optional bonus.

Crack jokes at times

Say kid-friendly jokes at times and make them smile. If you are unaware of such jokes, you can always take help from books and YouTube videos. Numerous such books have a list of such jokes. The more you can make your kid laugh, the more cheerful will he/her be. Everyone wants to have a cheerful kid and this is a great way of showing your little one how much you enjoy their company.

Go through photo albums together

If on your screen you have a photo archive or a folder of photographs, sit down and see family photos. Relive happy family holidays, first moves for your children, and birthday parties. Every photograph has a memory attached to it and when you narrate the stories to your kid, he/she feels attached to those moments and they might also find them amusing. Your kid will learn about his early phases of life. Going through pages of an album on a Sunday evening is a great way of spending some family time and also bonding.

Apologize when you go wrong

There will be times when you might lose your temper and say harsh things to your kid. Once your anger pacifies, apologize to him/her. Apologize to your little one if you weren’t paying attention when he/she was trying to say something. Try and keep your promises to your kid but if you fail, always apologize by explaining why you couldn’t keep up to his/her expectations, and also make sure you fulfill the promise within a few days.

Prioritize their interests

Want to drink or smoke? Guess what — it’s not good for them, and with everything you do you set an example. Now it is important to take care of yourself (you can’t take care of them otherwise), but keep it in mind. Set up an example for your kid and be a role model to him/her. Your actions will make your bond with your kid better and it will also help you maintain a healthy relationship with him/her.

Let them know the importance of self-esteem

This could be No. 1. Now, they’re not in any order, so that’s one of the key points. You can do little more than give them a high degree of self-esteem. A million forms, but above all by showing them (nonetheless), by spending time with them, communicating and listening to them, by praising the things they do, by teaching them how to be professional (not telling them). Do not rebuke and hinder, praise and inspire.

Let them know how to manage finances

In publications about dadhood, this is sometimes ignored. You may be unable to instruct your 1-year-old on index funds or the diversity of the portfolio, but at a very young age, you should show them the importance of money and how to save money so that a target can be achieved.

Verdict

The first year of being a father is full of unexpected surprises. It is very fulfilling yet exhausting. Father’s often think that the perfect time to bond with their child is when it is a toddler. Document every step of your baby’s growing up process. It will allow you to look back at these sweet memories in time!

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