Communicating with a Baby

making baby noises | bonding with the baby |
a crying baby | baby massage



Making baby noises!

Right from the beginning, a baby tries to say things - not with words, but with crying, facial expressions, by looking at you, touch, movement and so on. The best way to comunicate with a baby is to just be natural: one of you does something and the other one responds. It doesn't matter if it's only making 'baby noises'!

Bonding with a baby

Communication is very useful for a baby's psychological and intellectual development, and is an important part of bonding - the process where mother and baby develop love between each other.

Research suggests that one-to-one communication, especially with its mother, is uniquely good for a baby's intelligence and especially its language skills. Try to spend some time every day just talking with your baby about things that keep his or her attention, even if the baby does not reply! By helping a baby to feel confident and wanted in our eyes, we can help to build a person that will later feel wanted, confident and strong in the world.

A crying baby

All babies cry. It's normal, and it's a baby's number one way of saying anything. But it can make mothers very stressed!

Research shows that the best thing to do with crying babies is always to comfort them quickly. It is not "spoiling" a baby and it will not make a baby weak. A baby who is not left to cry alone knows it is wanted and this will help the baby to be confident as it grows up. Usually a healthy baby will stop crying if it is given what it asks for. Research suggests that a baby who is regularly left crying may grow up with emotional problems.

Baby Massage

Both tradition and science say that baby massage is very good for babies. Babies like it, and it helps with bonding Babies love skin-to-skin contact.

Massage should be done gently, and the baby must be comfortable. It's always important to make sure that babies, especially newborn babies, do not get cold. Oil is useful for massage, but the oil should not be allowed to get into any "orifices" - eyes, nose, tummy button and so on.

Massage is sometimes done with premature babies, but extra care has to be taken that baby does not get cold or is uncomfortable in any way. It is often done with "breech" babies - ones that have been born feet first - to help them develop their normal shape and to recover from the stresses of birth.

But remember that efforts should NOT be made to get baby's head to change shape - this happens naturally. The fontanelle (soft bit in the middle of baby's head) should be left alone. It is delicate and must not have any special treatment like massage or hot water. It disappears by itself. It is completely natural, and every baby has a fontanelle of one size or another. It helps with the process of being born.

Communicating with a Baby
Feeding a Baby
How to Breastfeed
How to Bottlefeed
Feelings after having a Baby
Postnatal Depression
Families with New Babies
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