How Dads Can Bond With Their Baby – Ep 118

This episode is for the new dads.  Oh, it’s exciting.  You get to hold your baby for the first time.  There is nothing like holding your newborn baby and feeling like you can’t believe that you can love something so much.  Then a few days go by.  And then a few weeks. Unless you are spending a lot of time with the baby, it can be difficult for you as the dad to feel an immediate close bond with the baby.  I’m sure some guys do, but many do not. I know with my kids, the first few months there was much more time spent with my wife than me.  Whether that was my doing or not, I worked and she was the one who was breastfeeding, fell asleep with them on occasion, or just simply took them wherever she went. Men can often have a more difficult time feeling the immediate bond with the child.  Mom had a 9-month head start.  As such, here are a few tips to bond with your baby: 1) Talk to your baby – My wife would talk to our kids before they were born.  I found it a little difficult but would occasionally give a high five or say hello.  It just takes practice to become comfortable with it. 2) Carry your baby – Whether this is in your arms or in a sling, carrying the baby allows both you and it, to feel close. 3) Skin To Skin Contact – There is something about a baby’s skin that is just amazing.  It’s soft and feels nice.  The touch is also good for the baby.  You could either place the baby simply on your chest while reclining or laying down or even give the baby a massage. 4) Give the baby a bath…