Bonding with your infant

A woman becomes a mother the moment she holds her newborn. The bonding is almost immediate. However, to nurture the bond both parents need to contribute. When a baby cries, a parent feeds her. Day and night mothers and fathers hug, feed, burp, wash, change and hold their babies and rock the baby to sleep.

A hungry baby is distressed and needs to be attended to immediately. Although constantly attending to an infant gives parents feelings of exhaustion and annoyance at times, these feelings are overshadowed by joy, love and tenderness towards their baby. A hungry baby is satisfied, comforted, held with care and affection.

Gradually the baby comes to know and expect that the parent will hold and care for her when in distress. The parents anticipate a baby’s needs and acts accordingly. These elements form the basis for developing parent child relationship.

By the end of the first year, most infants who are cared for in a family develop a unique attachment and a sense of bonding and security towards the parents. They understand that the father and mother are primary care givers. Being left unattended makes the infant insecure making her cry till either of the parent picks her up and cajoles her. The baby will then find comfort in the arms of the mother or father and respond with cooing noises and a smile and try to communicate.

This relationship of trust and security is central to the child’s development. Children who are brought up with a feeling of security and attachment to the parents are usually happy and content emotionally and this helps the child to develop happy and successful relationships with other family members and members of the society subsequently.