When your new born has arrived and the three of you go home as a family, there are many adjustments to be made. Sometimes, you might feel that Dad takes longer to develop a bond with your new baby than you, but this is nothing to be too concerned about. By following a few simple steps you can help to encourage the natural bond between father and baby.

It\’s important to allow Dad and his new baby to spend time alone together, so that baby understands that he can be comforted by him as much as by you. This means not “hanging around” nearby ready to “jump in” if he does something differently to you. You should leave them to develop their own habits and games together.

Ask Dad to read to baby. It doesn\’t matter what he\’s reading, it could be the sports pages of the newspaper, baby will still feel closer to Dad by getting used to the sound of his voice.

Encourage Dad to carry baby while he goes about his normal day-to-day activities, whether that is watching TV, going for a walk or even just checking his emails. Both of them will enjoy the physical closeness that this brings. Also, it has been proven that early tactile interaction between father and child is very valuable in helping to establish a bond.

Suggest that Dad helps to bath baby, as the interaction this offers will encourage bonding.

Encourage Dad to be as silly as he likes. Fathers who are left alone will develop their own games and jokes with their child, and will enjoy entertaining them by pulling silly faces and making silly noises.

At first Dad might not seem to be as keen to cuddle baby as you are, but allow him to physically interact with her in his own way. Gently bouncing the baby on his knee, or rocking her while dancing around the living room, will help to establish the bond between them.

Encourage him to copy baby\’s own vocalisations as this is an early form of communication between the two and, can really help to establish a bond.

Breast-feeding is probably the only thing that you can do for your baby that Dad can\’t. Everything else you do, such as comforting, nappy-changing, burping and bathing, can also be done by Dad. Encourage him to help out and get as involved as possible from day one. This could be a major factor in your baby developing good long term relationships. Research suggests that babies who are not given regular care by their father often experience long term and significant relationship issues in later life.

Let Dad hold baby whilst she is falling asleep. Although it may take some time to get used to him at first, your baby will soon understand that Dad\’s arms are just as safe as yours.

Get him to share in the nappy-changing. You might be worried that he\’ll go wrong with this task, but he may surprise you. Try to leave him to make his own mistakes and learn from them.

If baby is feeding from a bottle, there\’s no reason why Dad can\’t share in this, too. Encourage him to make eye contact with baby while he is doing so, as this can be a very important factor in their bonding.

While Dad and baby are spending time together you should go and spend some quality time on your own. You might take a relaxing bath or read a book? You\’ll benefit from the break, and if you aren\’t nearby, Dad won\’t be so tempted to hand baby back to you as soon as she starts to cry, he will learn to comfort her himself.

If you have been reading up on methods for bringing up baby since the moment you discovered you were pregnant, why not share your knowledge with Dad? Encourage him to read the books you\’ve read. If he\’s more informed, he\’s more likely to take an interest in your baby\’s early days.

It\’s important to be patient when watching the developing bond between a father and a baby, as it may seem very different to the way in which you relate to your little one. However you should do your best to allow the bond between Dad and baby to develop in its own way, without forcing it.

One of the most helpful things you can do at this stage is make sure Dad knows how much he is valued and needed during the early days of baby\’s development. Try not to be disheartened if Dad and baby don\’t appear to be as close as you and baby initially, as it can often take time for the bond to form but, with patience, the bond between them will develop naturally and can be every bit as strong as yours.

Jackie is a mother of two boys and designs Baby Shoes for The Baby Shoe Company.

Jackie is a mother of two boys and designs http://www.thebabyshoecompany.co.uk Baby Shoes for http://www.thebabyshoecompany.co.uk The Baby Shoe Company.

Author Bio: Jackie is a mother of two boys and designs Baby Shoes for The Baby Shoe Company.

Category: Parenting
Keywords: dad,bond,baby