8 Moments You Need to Let Your Partner Have With the Baby
There’s no comparison to the feeling you get when you see your partner strengthening their bond with your new baby. It melts your heart and elicits a warm-fuzzy feeling that can’t be beat. All of their best characteristics are accentuated and you’re quickly reminded why you fell in love in the first place.
As much as it melts your heart, it’s also crucial for your partner’s wellbeing and your baby’s. Giving your baby two involved parents who love him or her unconditionally allows them to flourish and develop in a healthy way.
While it will be hard at first, especially if your partner works full-time, putting in a little effort and encouraging partner-baby bonding will pay off. Communicate, have some faith, and let your partner experience special moments with the baby. Here’s a great list of 8 moments you need to let your partner have with the baby to get you started.
Throughout Pregnancy
Motherhood begins at conception. Your body starts growing and changing and you’re feeling all of the small changes your baby is making from within. The first kick, the responsiveness to your voice, and the inevitable side effects that your body feels are all signals that motherhood has begun. But pregnancy is just as important for your partner as it is for you, so help them be as involved as possible.
Make the Announcement About Both of You
Announcements are exciting, but make sure that they come from both of you rather than just mom. Talk to your partner about ideas and ask them how they’d like to tell friends and family. Making it from both of you is an important first step in developing a healthy family dynamic.
Share Celebrations
Moms get baby showers, but partners don’t often get to share in these celebrations. To make your partner feel involved, consider having a daddy shower or including your partner in the main celebrations for the baby shower. If you opt for a “daddy shower,” ask his guy friends to get together and have a party on the same day as your baby shower.
Keep Your Partner Updated on Appointments
If your partner has a full-time job, don’t assume that they can’t make your appointments. Keep them updated and informed so that they’re able to make the time to be there with you and watch your baby grow.
Decorate Together
When it comes time to set up your baby’s new room, get your partner involved. Pick out colors together, shop together, and make a day out of decorating together. It’s a great way for you to bond and share the anticipation of your new baby.
Create a Registry Together
Take the time to create your baby registry together instead of doing it yourself. There are some cool gadgets geared toward your partner and shopping together helps evoke feelings of inclusion for both parties.
Don’t’ Stop Going on Dates
Finally, and arguably most importantly, don’t stop going on dates. Your partner may feel left out that you are experiencing the joys of pregnancy and it’s not uncommon for them to feel like an outsider. Instead, stay connected and deepen your bond by making time for each other, even if it’s only once or twice a week. Let them feel involved, in as many ways as possible!
Post Delivery Moments
To help your partner form a strong bond with your baby, there are a number of moments that you need to let them have control of. While it will be hard to relinquish your motherly instincts, it’s important to let your partner have some one-on-one time with the baby, in addition to family time.
1. Involve Your Partner with Feedings
Since most new mothers will at least start out breastfeeding their babies, partners get left behind in this special bonding moment. To help your partner experience the joy of feeding times, let them be involved.
Pump milk so that they are able to feed the baby on their own a few times a day and have them around when you’re breastfeeding for extra help with burping. The benefit of having them around does well for both you and the baby and will create a family ritual that everyone will look forward to.
2. Encourage Skin-to-Skin Contact with Your Partner and Baby
Mommy and baby get a lot of skin-to-skin contact. From the moment your baby is born, they will be close to you and you’ll barely want to let them go.
While it will be difficult to find time between both of your newly chaotic schedules, feeding times, naps, and cleaning, encourage skin-to-skin contact between your partner and the baby whenever possible. This will give you some free time while simultaneously deepening the bond between the two.
3. Share a Familial Morning Routine
Mornings are chaotic and everyone’s routine differs, but the important thing is making sure that everyone has a role to play. Even if your partner needs to rush off to work, getting them involved in those early morning hours is a great way to start the day off strong.
Have your partner take care of the baby for at least a few minutes each morning—whether it’s with changing duties, feeding, or dressing—so you have time to get yourself ready for the day.
4. Avoid Hovering
One thing that needs to be stressed is when you let your partner have a moment with the baby you need to avoid hovering. Trust that they will handle everything and don’t micromanage. They are a parent too and their instincts will inevitably kick in.
5. Encourage Bonding
While skin-to-skin contact encourages bonding, it’s not the only moment you should let your partner have with the baby. Encourage bonding with any of these fun activities.
Games
Give your partner the freedom to develop a routines and unique experiences with the baby. It doesn’t matter if that means tummy time, silly games, or developmental exercises—as long as they get to have some fun together, everything will be great.
Story Time
If you have primary responsibility of the baby during the day, let your partner take care of nightly duties like story time. Having your partner read to your baby will allow him or her to become more familiar with their voice and feel soothed by the sound of it. It also gives you some much needed me time.
Bath time
Having your partner help with bath time makes it seem like less of a chore. In fact, a lot of families say that some of their best memories come from bath times that were experienced as a family. As an added bonus, two sets of hands make bath time much easier than just one.
6. Outfitting
Moms get pretty particular about what their baby will wear each day, but it doesn’t have to be such a serious matter. Let your partner in on the fun of picking outfits every once in a while, even if that means your baby leaves the house with two mismatched socks or a hilarious failed outfit.
7. Solo Classes
There are an abundance of mommy and baby classes available to take, but daddy or partner and baby classes are less common. Try and find something that your partner enjoys and encourage them to find a class that incorporates your baby. Make it a weekly thing so your partner experiences good, quality time with your son or daughter.
8. Let Your Partner and Baby Build Their Own “Thing”
Regardless of what it is, make sure that you let your partner and the baby build their own thing. It’s an important part of development, both for your baby and for the family. Give them the space they need to grow closer and develop the same unbreakable bond that exists between mommy and baby. While it will be hard to relinquish control at first, it will get easier and you’ll start to cherish the time you have to do some things for yourself.
Conclusion
The important thing to remember is that your partner is just as invested in your baby as you are. We understand that you will be overly protective and in certain cases, find it difficult to share the responsibility, but your partner is just as capable to take care of the baby as you are. Let them have a few of their own special moments with baby and always make them feel involved. While this list is just the beginning, showing you trust and value your partner is an important part of creating a strong and loving family. For more great pregnancy tips, info, and product reviews visit our website today! As always, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, all new mothers are eligible to receive a breast pump covered by your insurance. Visit Byram Healthcare today to browse our vast selection of pumps.
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