Unit of Bala Mandir Kamaraj Trust
Birth to Two Months
The Attachment Bond
Parenting Tips!
Babies start recognising their parents’ faces. Look into your baby’s face and talk softly and gently to help them feel connected.
Newborns can only focus on objects about 20-30 cm away. Keep this in mind when interacting with them.
You can’t spoil your baby with love and affection. Responsive parenting and bonding create trust and a secure attachment.
WHAT
During these early weeks, you and your baby begin forming a unique emotional connection known as the attachment bond. This bond is built through prompt responses to your baby's cues and needs.
WHY
A strong attachment is crucial for your baby's overall development. It influences their social, emotional, intellectual, and physical growth. A secure attachment helps your baby feel safe, trust others, and develop a healthy sense of self.
HOW
Building this bond takes time and patience. Attachment for the infant is not instantaneous, but develops and strengthens with every gentle and consistent parental response.
WHAT
At this stage, babies rely on primitive reflexes like sucking, yawning, and crying, as they have little control over their voluntary muscles. Their neck muscles are too weak to hold their head up.
WHY
These early reflexes help babies adapt to life outside the womb. As they grow, their muscles and nerves start working together, gradually developing motor skills.
HOW
Support your baby's head and neck when holding them and encourage "tummy time" to strengthen neck muscles. Give them space to move their arms and legs freely when awake. Dangling objects within reach can help them focus, reach out, and kick.
WHAT
Attachment is a two-way process where you and your baby read each other's signals. Your baby picks up on your tone, gestures, and emotions, while you respond to their cries and emotional cues.
WHY
Secure attachment grows from this nonverbal communication. It's essential for a strong bond between you and your baby.
HOW
Start by taking care of yourself. Ensure you get enough sleep, support, and nourishment. Your baby communicates best when calm and alert, and so do you. Prioritise your well-being to be a responsive parent.
WHAT
Understanding begins at birth, and babies' brains are stimulated by interesting stimuli. Touch is their strongest sense, while hearing matures by one month, and sight develops gradually over the first year. Initially, newborns see only black, white, and grey, with full colour vision emerging around three months.
WHY
This early sensory development is vital for laying the foundation of cognitive skills. It helps babies begin to understand their environment and sets the stage for future learning and exploration.
HOW
Over the first two months, engage your baby with moving objects and toys featuring bold patterns. Use musical toys or rattles to capture their interest and enhance their development through enriching play experiences.
WHAT
By two months, babies develop distinct cues for different needs. Their initial reflex smile at six weeks will soon become a meaningful expression of joy.
WHY
Non-verbal communication from birth lays the groundwork for future conversation. Babies use cries to signal discomfort and smiles or sounds to express happiness and comfort.
HOW
Each baby has a unique personality and preferences. Learn to read your baby's facial expressions, body movements, and sounds to understand their needs. Prompt and appropriate responses build trust and strengthens attachment.
Health & Hygiene
- Temperature Control: Keep your baby warm with appropriate clothing and ensure they are not exposed to drafts.
- Bathing: Bathe your baby in lukewarm water one to two times a week to prevent dry skin.
- Massage: Use gentle oil massages below the neck to comfort your baby, avoiding the eyes, ears, and mouth.
- Health Monitoring: Regularly check your baby’s weight and have them tested for vision and hearing within the first three weeks.
- Vaccinations: Follow the recommended childhood immunisation schedule.
- Umbilical Cord Care: Keep the umbilical cord dry and clean until it falls off to prevent infections.
- Sterilisation: Ensure feeding bottles and nipples are sterilized and stored in a clean environment.
- Infection Prevention: Be mindful of potential infection sources like contact, air, or contaminated water and milk.
Nutrition
Breastfeeding
- Breastfeeding Initiation: Babies can be put to the breast immediately after birth. Breast milk, especially colostrum, is rich in nutrients and antibodies that protect the baby.
- Frequency and Demand: Breastfeed as often as your baby demands, without supplementing with formula unless medically advised.
- Hygiene: Clean your breasts before and after each feeding.
- Burping: Burp your baby after each feed by holding them upright on your shoulder.
- Illness: Continue breastfeeding even with minor illnesses like a fever or cold.
- Seeking Help: Consult a doctor if you encounter breastfeeding difficulties, such as inverted nipples or issues with your baby’s latch.
- Hydration and Rest: Drink plenty of fluids and rest when your baby sleeps to maintain milk supply. Stress can decrease milk production.
- Emotional Support for Bottle-Fed Babies: Hold and cuddle bottle-fed babies during feeding to provide emotional comfort.
Safety
- Supervision: Never leave your baby unattended, especially when they are awake.
- Handling: Do not shake or toss your baby, as this can cause serious brain damage.
- Smoke-Free Environment: Keep your baby away from cigarette smoke and other harmful fumes.
- Temperature Control: Ensure your baby is not exposed to extreme heat or cold.
- Safe Sleep Practices: Place your baby on their back to sleep, never on their stomach or side, to reduce the risk of SIDS.
- Feeding Position: Avoid lying down while feeding your baby to prevent accidents.
Special Attention
Consult your doctor if, by the second, third, or fourth week, your baby shows any of the following signs of possible developmental delay:
- Does not open mouth when nipple touches it.
- Does not respond to sounds of humming or singing, and is unaffected (no corresponding eye or body movement) even by loud sounds.
- Does not follow a moving object with eye movements.
- Has very stiff or floppy limbs, and/or continuous abnormal limb movements.