Early Bonding and Attachment With Adopted Babies

Parents needs to do as much of the baby care as is possible in order to build the key bond.

They need to hold and communicate with the baby whenever feeding him or her. Feeding the baby can be an important bonding exercise where the parents need to be provide the food and keep eye contact with the child. Once the child is eating solids, mom must always feed him or her herself. Don't promote early self-reliance in self-feeding. Keep your child on your lap when possible, with eye-to-eye contact. When the baby must be in a highchair, keep him or her near you, between parents if you can, and touch your baby frequently.  Use a great deal of eye contact and dialogue. If your child insists on self-feeding, play involved, mutual feeding games - you put a piece of cereal in her mouth, he/she puts one in your mouth.

Plenty of physical contact is critical.  Parents must hold and carry the baby whenever possible. Hug, caress, stroke and rock. Mild play fighting and tickling are okay if not over-stimulating. Snuggling your baby with eye-to-eye contact while rocking him or her in a rocking chair is quite effective. Work with a baby sling or cloth carrier to hold him or her facing inwards towards your body, wear your baby all day long while you go about home chores or out shopping or going for walks.

Participate in regular fun interaction with your child. Don't leave your baby to amuse herself or himself for very long intervals. All the standard baby games are excellent: pat-a-cake, blowing raspberries, peek-a-boo, counting songs with fingers and toes, riding the mom's or dad's leg, rolling a ball backwards and forwards, copying the baby's sounds, and so on. Have fun together with baby toys.

Newly-adopted babies ought to be taken care of immediately when they cry during the night. Leaving a baby to cry isn't suitable for newly-adopted children. A parent may want to stay with the baby as she or he falls asleep, lulling, singing, caressing, and so on. Mothers and fathers need to comfort the baby when he or she cries during the night. A lot of babies adapt better when they sleep inside the parents' bedroom, either in their own crib close to the parents' bed, or with the mother and father in the Family Bed.  (If you choose this approach, make sure you adhere to all safety recommendations to be sure the baby doesn't suffocate on or under soft bed sheets, get stuck between the bed and the walls or surrounding furniture, or get suffocated unintentionally by parents) Other people, including your family doctor, might suggest for you to teach the older child to fall asleep by herself or himself, by allowing him or her cry it out. Often when a child seems safely and securely attached, parents start to motivate their baby to learn to sleep throughout the night alone. Make sure to eliminate medical reasons in case your baby's sleep is disturbed and often interrupted by waking and sobbing: digestive tract parasites, ear infections and also lactose intolerance are possible reasons for poor sleeping.

For more information about early bonding with your adopted baby, please feel free to contact us ASAP!