Do you melt when you see your partner interact with baby? I know I do. One of the most rejuvenating and touching things is to watch my husband spend time with our son. My husband is patient, playful and attentive (maybe I'm biased but I think he's pretty great). Sometimes I even sneak outside the doorway just to listen to them make noises at each other. It's precious!
As the mom in the picture, I feel a bit of a responsibility to help my husband bond well with our son, since he spends most of his time with me. Given this, I know their time together is precious and important for establishing a relationship.
Looking to do the same for your partner and baby? Here are a few ways I try to foster the dad-child bond at our house:
1. GET DAD INVOLVED AT FEEDING TIMES
Since I'm breastfeeding our son, it's not often that my husband gets to do the actual feeding, especially since I use breastfeeding as one of my bonding times with our son after work (he drinks pumped milk at daycare). Does that mean dad can't be a part of feedings? Absolutely not! My husband does most of the burping and we usually end up in hysterics as spit up flies all over. Not only does our son get to be close to his dad, but it's now a little family ritual that we all do together.
2. LET DAD AND BABY CUDDLE UP
Evening times with a newborn can be a bit chaotic while trying to juggle feedings, diaper changes, laundry, dinner and even just saying hi to your significant other. One thing I've found helpful is to let Dad and baby have their cuddle time. Sometimes I'll just look at my husband and say, 'why don't you go lay on the couch with Asa?' This frees up my hands to get some much-needed housework done quickly and encourages them to have some quality bonding time together. Everyone wins!
3. MAKE BATH TIME A FAMILY EVENT
Have you come to love bath time with baby? Our son adores being in the warm water and getting a baby massage. We've found that we have more fun making bath time happen as a family (plus, it's easier). My husband is in charge of the body washing, and I wash his hair. Some of our best memories so far have involved bath time, and it's been great watching Dad develop his confidence while holding our slippery, squirmy son.
4. HAVE DAD BECOME PART OF YOUR MORNING ROUTINE
Morning routines look different in every household (read more about our's here). Dad's job is to get baby ready for the day by changing his diaper and getting him dressed. Then, they hang out for a few minutes while I finish throwing myself together. Those early morning moments really mean a lot to my husband and are a great boost of baby time before heading to work. This might not work exactly the same way for your schedule, but be creative! I bet there are ways you can combine a needed routine with quality bonding.
5. HAVE DAD READ A BEDTIME STORY
It’s a great way for baby to get familiar with his voice and feel lulled by it. Also, let Dad choose the book; it’s your child’s very first introduction to his likes and tastes (at least when it comes to kiddie lit!). At the same time, it’s a wonderful way for your partner to wind down from the day, and simply gaze into your child’s eyes and watch how she responds to all he has to tell her.
6. LET DAD AND BABY DEVELOP THEIR OWN THING
As a mom (or woman?), I sometimes desire to have control over everything. Can you relate at all? But one of the best things for my husband and me is when I just let him do his own thing with baby. Whether that means some quality tummy time or reading a book, I'm learning that they find great things to do together and enjoy it much more when I'm hands-off.
当你看到你的伴侣和宝宝互动时你会融化吗?我知道我有。最让人振奋和感动的事情之一就是看着我的丈夫和我们的儿子在一起。我的丈夫很有耐心，很顽皮，也很专注(也许我有偏见，但我觉得他很棒)。有时我甚至会偷偷溜到门口，只是为了听他们互相发出噪音。太珍贵了!
作为母亲，我觉得有责任帮助丈夫和儿子好好相处，因为他大部分时间都和我在一起。考虑到这一点，我知道他们在一起的时间是宝贵的，是建立关系的重要因素。
想为你的伴侣和孩子做同样的事吗?以下是我尝试在我们家培养孩子的方法:
1、在喂食时间让爸爸参与进来
因为我在给我们的儿子哺乳，所以我的丈夫并不是经常做真正的喂食，特别是我把母乳喂养作为我下班后和儿子的亲密时光（他在日托所喝的是奶水）。这是不是意味着爸爸不能成为喂养的一部分?绝对不是!我丈夫大部分时间都在拍嗝，而我们打出一连串的嗝，像吐泡泡的鱼。我们的儿子不仅能接近他的父亲，而且这是我们一起做的家庭仪式。
2、让爸爸和宝宝抱抱。
晚上和新生儿在一起的时候可能会有点混乱，同时尝试着在喂奶、换尿布、洗衣服、吃饭，甚至只是跟你的另一半说‘你好’。我发现有用的一件事是让爸爸和宝宝有他们的拥抱时间。有时候我会看着我的丈夫说，‘你为什么不跟Asa一起躺在沙发上?“这样可以让我的手腾出时间来做一些急需的家务，并鼓励他们在一起度过一些美好的时光。”每个人都会赢!
3、把洗澡时间变成家庭活动
你和宝宝一起洗澡了吗?我们的儿子喜欢在温暖的水中做婴儿按摩。我们发现，让洗澡的时间成为一个家庭是更有趣的事情(而且，这更容易)。我丈夫负责洗衣服，我洗他的头发。到目前为止，我们最美好的回忆都是沐浴在洗澡的时间里，看着爸爸抱着我们滑而不稳的儿子，培养了他的自信，这真是太棒了。
4、让爸爸成为你早晨的一部分
每个家庭的早晨惯例看起来都不一样。爸爸的工作就是给孩子换尿布，让他穿好衣服。然后，他们一起出去玩了几分钟，我就把自己收拾好了。这些清晨的早期时刻对我的丈夫起了很大的意义，并且在工作之前对宝宝的时间都是极大的鼓舞。这可能和你的时间表不一样，但是要有创意!我敢打赌，有很多方法可以让你的日常生活和质量保证结合起来。
5、爸爸读过睡前故事吗?
这是一个让宝宝熟悉他的声音的好方法，也能让他感觉很好。同时，让爸爸选择这本书;这是你孩子对他的喜好和品味的第一次介绍(至少在儿童文学上是这样的!)与此同时，这也是让你的伴侣从一天中放松下来的一种好方法，只要盯着你孩子的眼睛，观察她对他所要告诉她的一切有何反应。
6、让爸爸和宝宝开发他们自己的事情
作为一个母亲(或女人?)，我有时想要控制一切。你能理解吗?但对我和我丈夫来说，最好的事情之一就是当我让他自己做事情的时候。无论这是否意味着一些高质量的时间，或者是读书，我都知道，当我不管他们的时候，他们会发现很多事情可以一起做，并享受更多的乐趣。
