How Dads Can Bond with Their Kids
Bonding is very important for your child’s health and well-being – and it’s very rewarding for fathers too.
Bonding with Your Child
Spending quality time with your child is important for building a strong, lasting connection. It can also help you feel more confident in your role or abilities as a father. When children grow up bonded with both parents, it can help them to:
- Develop good language skills, such as the ability to read and communicate
- Be prepared when it is time to start school and succeed academically
- Adopt good behaviors
- Better manage stress
- Build healthy relationships with others
Bonding Activities
The most important part of bonding with your child is just spending time together. You can find your own special ways of bonding, which can be as simple as holding your child while watching television or going for a walk. Ideally you will find many different ways to spend time together that you both enjoy. Some activities to try with babies or toddlers:
- Feed and burp them
- Talk to them or have a conversation
- Hold babies against your bare skin while they sleep
- Hold them in a carrier while doing light household chores
- Change their diapers
- Go for a car ride
- Listen to your favorite music together
- Sing to them
- Read together to help increase their vocabulary
- Take them to the park
- Have them help with chores or taste test food
- Eat together
- Give them a bath and buy some water toys to make it extra fun
- Attend doctor appointments to learn about their health and to help make these appointments less scary for them
How to Overcome Difficulties Bonding
For some dads, bonding can feel challenging in the beginning. If this happens, be patient. Here are some common bonding issues:
- Limited time for bonding. Try to designate a special time for bonding with your child if you are in school and/or work (such as dinnertime or nighttime sleep routines). During bonding time, focus your attention only on your child and avoid distractions, such as using your phone. Children notice and appreciate every effort you make.
- Attachment to one parent. Some children might go through a phase where they want to be with mom or dad all the time. If this happens, work with the other parent or your partner to encourage that your child spend equal amounts of time with each of you, if possible.
