How Does Eye Contact Help Your Baby’s Development?
Throughout the first year, your baby will benefit greatly from adequate eye contact. Here’s how eye contact can help your baby.
- Eye contact helps your baby get to know you (and other caregivers). It also helps the baby associate the voice with the face.
- Eye contact is your baby’s way of getting more information and gradually building an understanding of the outside world.
- According to University of Cambridgeeye contact syncs your brainwaves with the baby’s and supports communication and learning.
- Good eye contact also promotes the release of the hormone oxytocin which helps you bond better with your baby.
- Your baby can feel safer and more secure with lots of eye contact.
- As the baby grows, good eye contact will also promote good hand-eye coordination as the baby tries to touch your face.
Some Helpful Tips for Eye Contact with Your Baby
To make sure you get the best for yourself and your baby, through a healthy amount of eye contact, we’ve curated some tips for you.
- Hold your baby so that his face is 8 to 15 inches away from you. This is a perfect distance to have good eye contact. You can even start doing this with your newborn. However, the baby will begin to make eye contact only after about six to eight weeks.
- Talk to your baby when you make eye contact. It helps a lot in communication and understanding. You can also sing to your baby. Don’t forget to smile!
- Feeding is a good time to make eye contact. If you’re breastfeeding your little one and he looks up at you, smile and make eye contact.
- If your baby is looking at something else, point to the object and name it. Around 7 months of age, babies can begin to make associations where an object is named for them.
- Babies have short attention spans. If your baby avoids, don’t worry. Talking to him, calling his name, etc. will turn his attention back to you.
- As the baby grows, he will begin to respond to you by trying to vocalize sounds. Drive it to help him reach the ‘speaking’ milestone in time.
Watching a baby grow is a true joy. By improving your eye contact with your baby, you not only help him reach developmental milestones, but also create a lasting bond with him. Remember to enjoy this stage and your baby’s smiles. They grow up too fast!
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