3 Easy Ways to Bond with Baby

• This post was sponsored by NUK as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central, however all opinions expressed are my own. 

One of the great things about having a baby at 38 years old (yes! I’m one of those AMA mamas!) is that I am making way different choices of how I spend my time than before. When I was a young mom, I was rushing to get to the next season, wanting them to walk, talk and wipe themselves! Now, with way more life under my belt, I love to just savor the moments that are happening and enjoy each of them!

As a new mom, I’m once again realizing just how fast babies grow! I also have a 13 year old and a 9 year old and I knew that time flew before, but now with a 4 month old, I’m remembering that this little baby season only lasts a short time.

There have been so many things that have come right back to me after 9 years of not having a newborn. There are so many new baby gadgets and baby tips that I have never heard of before. I’ve been learning so many new things in my old age!  

I’ve learned new ways to be intentional about bonding with baby and I wanted to share some of those easy ways with you! I wish someone would have shared these with me as a younger mom (and maybe they did, but I didn’t quite hear it?).

Easy Ways to Bond with Baby

1. Talk to baby from Day 1! Start a great habit and talk to baby from conception! As babies grow inside the womb, they recognize your voice. When they are born into the outside world, your voice will be comforting to them. Did you know that talking to babies boosts their brainpower? It seems like a simple thing to do but sometimes we forget to talk to them while doing the mundane tasks like changing diapers, feeding them or giving them a bath.
2. Make Eye Contact– It’s a little more complicated now that we have a million different websites at our fingertips and can be literally multitasking all the time. Be intentional about putting down your phone and connecting with baby through eye contact (speaking to myself too!). We know the connection we feel as adults when we have eye contact with other people, the same goes for babies. The opposite is also true, when we have a lack of eye contact, we can feel less connected.
3. Bonding through feeding time. This time around, I was hoping to be able to feed my baby by breastfeeding only. My colostrum came in after baby was born and I was off to a great start, but unfortunately, I didn’t have the milk supply needed to maintain baby’s growth after leaving the hospital. I so enjoyed the moments of bonding through feeding that I have tried to remain intentional (most of the time!) about feeding time. I try to talk to baby, maintain eye contact and make feeding time a special time. 

One of the ways that I have made the transition to bottle feeding after breastfeeding was by using NUK Simply Natural Bottles. They are designed to create a close to mom’s breast feel. This make for an easier transition from breast to bottle feeding, keeping that bond that we’ve all ready established during feeding time.  It also has different flow nipples so that this bottle can grow with baby. It has up to 9 nipple holes, similar to mom’s breast. NUK Simply Natural Bottles is made with soft silicone so that it moves with baby and maintains continuous latch. 

These bottles are easy to find, which is great in case you lose one, forget one or whatever! You can find them at Walmart and Target.  NUK also has freemie cups available at Walmart and Target!