With all the things that newborn babies need, it is easy to forget that the first few months of life are a crucial stage in a child’s social and emotional development. As long as you and your partner are loving parents who give the baby everything he or she needs, you do not have to be overworried about socializing your baby. That aspect of parenting becomes much more important later on. However, there are things you can do right now to make your baby happy while laying a foundation for strong social skills in the future. Here are a few ideas.
1. Play: Your baby is still a little too young to understand many of the things that you do, but babies do know when their parents are having fun, and they enjoy it themselves. Spend plenty of time simply playing with your baby in a way that shows your love.
2. Be close: Be close with your baby at all opportunities. Showing your love and appreciation will make her feel special, even if she is too young to understand why she feels the way she feels. And if you show plenty of affection now, she will develop into a loving family member herself.
3. Interact: Show your baby that there is more to social interaction than merely crying. Of course, crying is what babies do, but you can begin to show him other ways of communicating by responding positively to what he does. Respond to his facial expressions, noises, and movements, and allow your interactions to grow along with him.
4. Make eye contact: Newborns take a little while before they get the hang of making eye contact, but after a few weeks it seems to come naturally. You can build your bond and create a strong sense of trust and closeness in your baby by looking right back at her any time she looks at you.
5. Be around people: When you have a newborn in the house, it is usually easiest to just stay at home and go through the motions of taking care of a new baby. But whenever you have the chance, take the baby out to see the world. Babies are little sponges when it comes to new stimuli, and you can begin to broaden your child’s experience with the world from day one. Rather than simply riding around in the car, go for walks, interact with people, and see interesting sights.
6. Introduce other babies: Newborns sometimes do not know how to interact with one another, but bringing them together helps ensure that your baby grows up feeling comfortable around other children her age. Plus, even if your baby is still at the pre-social age, you might be surprised by the interactions that occur when you bring together two or more young babies. They seem programmed to interact and learn from each other.
7. Touch: Beyond merely being close and playing, it is crucial to interact physically with your baby as much as possible. Give him plenty of hugs, kisses, and snugs, and always keep him close whenever he is awake.
By Jamell Andrews