Bonding with your baby is probably one of the most pleasurable aspects of infant care. "Bonding" is a concept that was introduced in the late 1970's by two pediatricians, Klaus and Kennell. They suggested that there is a sensitive time in the first hours to days after birth in which it's important for parents to make a connection with their infant. This physical connection promotes an emotional connection between parent and infant (bonding). The attachment that's then formed allows the parents to make the necessary sacrifices to be able to take care of their child.

For infants, the attachment contributes to their emotional growth, which also impacts their development in other areas like physical growth. Another way to think of bonding is "falling in love" with your baby. Children who don't have a parent or adult in their life that unconditionally love them will potentially have greater problems as they mature.

Begin bonding by cradling your baby in your lap and gently stroking him or her in different patterns. If you and your partner both hold and touch your infant frequently, he or she will soon come to know the difference between your touches. Each of you should also take the opportunity to be "skin-to-skin" with your newborn, holding him or her against your own skin when feeding or cradling.

Babies, especially premature babies and those with medical problems, may respond to infant massage. Research has shown that certain types of massage can relax and increase bonding between both infant and parent as well as help with infant digestion and growth. Infant massage was introduced to the United States in the 1970's by Vimala Schneider McClure from India who saw firsthand the benefits it provided. Many books and videos cover the subject; talk to your child's doctor about which one you think might work for you and your baby. Be careful, however - babies are not as strong as adults, so massage your baby gently.

Babies usually love vocal sounds, such as talking, babbling, singing, and cooing. Your baby will probably also love listening to music. Try a variety of types to find your baby's preference. Baby rattles and musical mobiles are other good ways to stimulate your infant's hearing. If your baby is being fussy, try singing, reciting poetry and nursery rhymes, or reading to him or her as you sway or rock gently in a chair.

Some babies may be unusually sensitive to touch, light, or sound. Such babies may startle and cry easily, sleep less than you might expect, or turn their faces away when you speak or sing to them. Keep noise and light levels moderate.

Swaddling is another soothing technique first-time parents should learn. Swaddling keeps your baby's arms close to his or her body and his or her legs securely bound. Not only does this keep your baby warm, but the surrounding pressure seems to give most newborns a sense of security and comfort. Here's how to swaddle a baby:

• Spread out the receiving blanket, with one corner folded over slightly.
• Lay the baby face up on the blanket with his or her head at the folded corner.
• Wrap the left corner over his or her body and tuck it beneath him or her.
• Bring the bottom corner up over his or her feet.
• Wrap the right corner around him or her, leaving only the neck and head exposed.

Information:

Administrative Assistants, Administrative Professionals, Anniversary, Baby Shower, Baby, Bar Mitzvah, Bat Mitzvah, Bath & Body, Bereavement, Birthday, Bridal Shower, Bridal, Canada Day, Candy Bouquet, Chanukkah, Cheese, Chinese New Year, Chocolate, Christmas, Coffee, Congratulations, Cookies, Easter, Father's Day, Flowers, Fourth of July, Fruit, Get Well, Gourmet, Graduation, Halloween, Hanukkah, Independence Day, Kwanzaa, Liquor, Mother's Day, New Home New Years, Purim, Retirement, Secretaries, Snack, Spa, St. Patrick's Day, Sympathy, Tea, Thank You, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, Wedding Shower, Wedding, Wine

Gift Baskets:

Gift Baskets Canada: Amherst, Barrie, Bedford, Brandon, Burnaby, Calgary, Campbellton, Charlottetown, Coquitlam, Corner Brook, Dartmouth, Edmonton, Edmundston, Fort McMurray, Fredericton, Grand Falls-Windsor, Halifax, Hamilton, Iqaluit, Kelowna, Kingston, Kirkland, Kitchener, Labrador City, Langley, Laval, Lethbridge, London, Magog, Mississauga, Moncton, Montreal, Moose Jaw, Nelson, Niagara Falls, Oshawa, Ottawa, Prince Albert, Quebec City, Red Deer, Regina, Richmond, Sackville, Saskatoon, Sherwood Park, St. Albert, St. John's, Surrey, Toronto, Trois Rivieres, Truro, Whitehorse, Windsor, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Victoria, Yellowknife

Gift Baskets Europe: Aarhus, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Athens, Barcelona, Berlin, Bern, Bratislava, Brussels, Bucharest, Budapest, Copenhagen, Dublin, Esch-sur-Alzette, Frankfurt, Helsinki, Innsbruck, Lisbon, Luxembourg City, Madrid, Marseille, Oslo, Paris, Porto, Prague, Rome, Sligo, Sofia, Stockholm, Stuttgart, Tampere, The Hague, Thessaloniki, Tonsberg, Uppsala, Venice, Vienna, Warsaw, Zurich

Gift Baskets Middle East: Egypt, Iran, Israel Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

Gift Baskets New Zealand: Auckland City, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton, Lower Hutt, Manukau, North Shore, Tauranga, Waitakere, Wellington City

Gift Baskets Puerto Rico: Adjuntas, Arecibo, Florida, Ponce, San Juan, Santa Isabel

Gift Baskets South Africa: Bisho, Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Kimberley, Mmabatho, Nelspruit, Pietermaritzburg, Pietersburg

Gift Baskets Southeast Asia: Bangkok, Beijing, Dhaka, Ha Noi, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Nagano, New Delhi, Okinawa, Osaka, Seoul, Taipei, Tokyo

Gift Baskets United Kingdom: Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Portadown, Swansea

Gift Baskets United States: Akron, Albany, Albuquerque, Allentown, Anaheim, Anchorage, Annapolis, Ann Arbor, Arlington, Atlanta, Atlantic City, Augusta, GA, Augusta, ME, Aurora, Austin, Baltimore, Baton Rouge, Bellevue, Billings, Biloxi, Birmingham, Bismarck, Boise, Boston, Bridgeport, Buffalo, Burlington, Cambridge, Camden, Carson City, Casper, Cedar Rapids, Chandler, Charleston, SC, Charleston, WV, Charlotte, Chattanooga, Cherry Hill, Chesapeake, Cheyenne, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Clinton, Columbia, MD, Columbia, SC, Columbus, GA, Columbus, OH, Concord, Dallas, Davenport, Dayton, Dearborn, Denver, Des Moines, Detroit, Dover, Duluth, Durham, East Orange, Edison, Elizabeth, El Paso, Erie, Eugene, Evanston, Evansville, Everett, Fairbanks, Fairfax, Fargo, Federal Way, Flint, Ft. Collins, Ft. Lauderdale, Ft. Smith, Ft. Wayne, Frankfort, Ft. Worth, Glendale, Grand Forks, Grand Rapids, Greensboro, Gulfport, Hampton, Harrisburg, Hartford, Helena, Henderson, Honolulu, Houston, Huntsville, Idaho Falls, Independence, Indianapolis, Jackson, Jacksonville, Jefferson City, Jersey City, Juneau, Kansas City, KS, Kansas City, MO, Knoxville, Lafayette, Lakewood, CO, Lakewood, WA, Lansing, Las Vegas, Lewiston, Lexington, Lincoln, Little Rock, Livonia, Los Angeles, Las Cruces, Louisvillle, Lowell, Madison, Manchester, Marietta, Memphis, Mesa, Metairie, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Minot, Missoula, Mobile, Montgomery, Montpelier, Nampa, Naperville, Nashua, Nashville, Newark, New Bedford, New Haven, New Orleans, New York City, Norfolk, Norman, Oakland, Olympia, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Orlando, Overland Park, Paradise, Paterson, Peoria, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pierre, Pittsburgh, Pocatello, Portland, ME, Portland, OR, Portsmouth, Providence, Quincy, Rapid City, Raleigh, Reno, Richmond, Riverside, Roanoke, Rochester, Rockford, Roswell, Sacramento, St. Louis, St. Paul, St. Petersburg, Salem, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Ana, Santa Fe, Savannah, Schaumburg, Scottsdale, Seattle, Shreveport, Sioux City, Sioux Falls, Spokane, Springfield, IL, Springfield, MA, Springfield, MO, Sterling Heights, Stockton, Syracuse, Tacoma, Tallahassee, Tampa, Toledo, Topeka, Trenton, Tucson, Tulsa, Tuscaloosa, Virginia Beach, Warren, Washington, Waterbury, Waukegan, Westland, Wichita, Wilmington, Winston-Salem, Worcester, Yonkers

See Also "Informative Sites"