10 Proven Ways to Make Babies Feel Loved…

These 10 "pint size" actions backed by science

can help babies feel loved, happy and calm. They

also help grow an infant's brain and prime them for

language development, academic success, quality

relationships and life satisfaction.

Happy Talk: research suggests that newborns prefer their mother's voice to any

other voice. They also prefer happy sounding speech to neutral speech. This

speech has been coined the term "parentese" because it is characterized by a

high pitch and exaggerated tone.

Eye contact: eye contact helps infants feel happier, calmer, bonded and more

engaged. It also can grow areas of an infant's brain and increase the amount an

infant smiles and vocalizes, contributing directly to building their vocabulary.

Cuddles and hugging: babies exposed to skin-to-skin contact with their mother

show more engagement, while mothers reported fewer depressive or stress

indicators cuddling and hugging is good for both parent and child.

Attuning and engagement: attunement is the ability to be aware of or respond

to a child's needs. It's essential to the bonding and attachment process for infants.

It involves respecting a child's natural rhythms, observing how the child is feeling

or reacting maintaining a routine and engaging with an infant without being

intrusive or neglectful.

Playing: games such as peekaboo help children grow. Researchers found that

mother's engagement in play predicts positive changes in a child's oxytocin

system and can actually change their DNA.

Smiling: parents who smile at their babies tend to have babies who smile bigger.

When parents see their babies' happy face and extensive brain network is

activated and parents get a dopamine reward. They feel happier and calmer.

Singing or playing music: music can boost moods and also is a precursor to

learning language. Music has a strong ability to arouse and regulate emotions.

Research in 2020 found that the effects of stress were significantly reduced when

music was used. Singing causes babies to be mesmerized and signals an

increased attention.

Reading and warmth: research suggests that reading books to infants is

associated with an increase in parental warmth and sensitivity and decreases

parental stress. Consistently reading to infants also improves infants' language

scores.

Rituals and routines: family routines and rituals are associated with a child's

health, academic achievement, and stronger family relationships. They act as a

grounding anchor of stability and comfort during times of stress or transition.

Calm and joyful mood: babies pick up on parent stress, anxiety, and conflict.

Intentionally connecting with infants creates lasting positive outcomes for years

to come. Positive emotions and infants are associated with adult life satisfaction,

and they also predict educational success. Happier babies are more likely to

graduate from high school and go to college.