The 3 cuteness overloaded ways your baby says: I love you!
Last Sunday the 17th, it was international Fathers day. A very special day if you’re asking me. I think every parent deserves to be in the spotlight once a year. Of course, it doesn’t have to be exorbitant and some people think it’s overrated, stupid and commercial, but let’s be honest: we all like to be pampered sometimes, right?! When the kids are older they can make a delicious breakfast-in-bed for example, or give daddy's car a good wash. With all the chores done, he’ll be ready to head out for a fun day. Or maybe do the housekeeping for mom for a day or cook some delicious meal!
But what if it’s your first mother or fathers day? What if you are really looking for overloaded love, but your baby is just too small to tell you: "I love you"? Well, I know the early days of mother or fatherhood can seem thankless, but look for this little cues that your baby is falling totally in love with you too. Recognizing love isn’t quite as easy as tracking your baby’s developmental milestones, such as the first laugh or rolling over, but it’s possible! Maybe we can help you a little:
1. Your baby knows you
The first moment your baby and you are getting in contact with each other, your baby will recognize you. Although babies can’t see anything. They still know your smell and voice. Young babies start to reciprocate the bonding process by turning toward the voices they know (and love) the most. When the baby is 16 weeks in utero, babies have been listening in on mom, dad, friends, family and anyone else mom is around frequently. Because of this, it’s important for parents to initiate the bonding process by chatting and reading to the baby in utero. By the time they are born, babies are primed to turn towards the voices they recognize. They can’t talk, but they can wiggle and move their head from side to side.
2. Your baby follows you with his eyes (or actually they totally gaze into your face)
It’s well documented that babies are primed to seek out faces. But it’s primary caregivers faces they want to study the most. They do this to figure out if they can trust you. The baby is sending signals
that they want to attach, they want comfort, and they want an emotional response back. Are you holding your baby? Then you can look him deep in the eye. As your baby's vision develops, he will always
keep looking at your face to mark different expressions. Soon your baby will smile at you, frown, flirt with you and you will be deeply impressed by what your baby can do. The interaction between you and
your baby, where you show different facial expressions, is extremely important for the development of your child's emotions. It makes a lucky hormone in the brain of your baby. This stimulates the development
of social intelligence. Plus, when you do react and gaze back with affection, this builds a loving connection between you and your baby.
3. They smile at you!
Even though everybody says it’s not possible that your newborn can laugh already, it still develops his expression. By smiling back at him, your baby quickly learns that when they smile, mom and dad are smiling back. Your baby will learn how to react to some situations. When I do this, someone responds. And that’s a good thing.
As with any relationship, if you want your baby to show that they love you, let them know you love them right back! Parents who fall in love with their little babies have babies who fall in love with them (could you really resist?) So let’s all celebrate love and pamper each other a little bit extra on mothers and fathers day because sometimes we all need some extra love!
Love,
Margot
BabyFloat