Caring for your Newborn

Chapter 3: Bonding

The Importance of Bonding

When you cuddle, communicate, play and hold your baby close, you encourage your baby’s emotional and physical well being. Take advantage of all the daily routines like diapering, bathing and dressing, to bond and connect. Your closeness will actually encourage your baby’s healthy development. Don’t be afraid to hold your baby too often. You just can’t spoil a baby!

How to Hold Your Newborn

There are many ways to hold a baby. With experimentation and practice you will find safe, useful and comfortable holds. You will likely find that your baby has preferences for certain holds too. When holding a newborn, just remember to always support your baby’s head, neck and spine and enjoy getting to know your new baby.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Safe use of Infant Slings and Recalls: A few infant slings have been recalled. To learn more about the recall and to learn about safe sling use, you can visit:

• U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, NEWS:

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10165.html
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07137.html
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10177.html

Great Ways to Bond

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tips on reading to your child: You can begin to read to your baby while she’s still in the womb. To learn more about reading to your child visit:

• Reading is Fundamental: www.rif.org/parents

Tummy Time

Tummy time is a very important part of your baby’s day. Learn more about tummy time by visiting the following web pages:

• "Preventing Positional Skull Deformity" at The American Academy of Pediatrics: http://www.aap.org/advocacy/archives/julyskullqa.htm

• "Back to Sleep- Tummy" to Play at The American Academy of Pediatrics: http://www.healthychildcare.org/pdf/SIDStummytime.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

 

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