Bonding

Bonding the creating of an emotional link between a new born infant and its parents, particularly the mother.

Bonding begins immediately after birth when the baby is placed in its mother's arms.

Eye to eye contact, cuddling and gently talking to the baby are the normal vital components of the process and occur quite naturally in most cases.

A failure in the process which may occur, for example, if the mother suffers severe post-natal depression, is a situation which requires professional help.

Mother-baby interactions and infant development were assessed when the children were ten weeks old and again at nine months of age.

The babies and mothers were observed and their interactions evaluated based on the mother's physical and verbal communication with her child, responsiveness to cues from the baby, positive and negative statements made to the child, playtime with the baby, teaching, goal-setting for the child, and control of activities.

A pediatrician assessed locomotor, social, verbal, and hand-eye coordination skill development in the infants.

Some of the suggestions for new fathers:

• Communicate vocally with your baby.
• Feed and change the baby.
• Mirror the baby's movements.
• Participate in labor and delivery.
• Touch your baby.
• Establish eye-to-eye contact.
• Let the baby touch you.
• Use a front baby carrier while performing routine activities.