Five Ways to Bond with Your Baby

Cora was born into a big family, she has three big brothers that demand my time and attention and where I would spend hours cuddled up with my first newborn, things aren't that easy with the fourth.  Finding different ways to keep the wonderful bond between us is a priority and I still find time every day to just enjoy her on her own, even if it does mean that I don't get much (any) time to myself.  There are little things we do each day that keep us close, that are just between us and I love how bonded they make me feel with my new baby.

Babywearing - Cora wants to be close to me at all times, understandably, and I want to keep her safe.  Her brothers adore her, sometimes a bit too much so keeping her with me makes sense.  As well as using a sling to make getting out and about easier, we also use it in the house.  She is settled when held against my chest, I have two hands free for her brothers and we can have skin to skin.

Breastfeeding - Cora is exclusively breastfed which means that as soon as she is hungry she comes back to me.  I didn't feel like my bond was any less with Finn when I had to bottlefeed him, but I find there to be something so precious about breastfeeding and knowing how reliant she is on me and me alone.

Co-sleeping - Co-sleeping works well for us.  It enables me to get some sleep and Cora to feel secure.  She sleeps the first stretch of each night in her crib and then comes in with me for the rest of it.  It feels so natural to keep her close at night and it means we both get more sleep!

Baby Massage - When the boys all go to bed, the house suddenly goes quiet and it is a great time to have some special time with my baby girl.  We love baby massage as a way to reconnect after a busy day and it keeps her skin lovely and smooth too.  The skin to skin contact releases the love hormone Oxytocin which helps us to connect and bond (I have some Huggies wipes handy for change time. Gayle Berry, Infant massage & baby yoga expert says“Nappy changing offers a special time to bond with your baby as you have the opportunity for eye contact, touch and to talk together. Reducing artificial smells in the products you use means that baby can recognise your special scent which encourages the bonding process and is kind to both you and your baby’s skin”. They are made with 99%  pure water and completely free from nasty chemicals such as alcohol, phenoxyethanol and parabens.  To find out how HUGGIES® Wipes naturally care for your little one’s skin visit www.huggieswipes.co.uk to find the full range. )

Bathing together - Until she is big enough to go in with her brothers, Cora comes in the bath with me.  We both love the calmness, the opportunity to have skin to skin and being able to feed her and comfort her if she needs it.  I would love to take her swimming one day too and we have plenty of HUGGIES® Little Swimmers® ready with the new Disney© Pixar Finding Dory characters on.  You can pick them up in the baby aisle or visit www.littleswimmers.co.uk for tips and advice. HUGGIES® Little Swimmers® is inviting families to “Get set, splash”, inspiring them to enjoy fun in the water with their little ones, giving them the confidence that they’ll be protected from any little accidents

I feel like my bond with Cora is as strong as with any of the others.  She gets so much of me, but she has three big brothers to love her as well.