The Many Benefits of Bonding With Your Baby

Breast milk is best for your baby

Breast milk is best for babies. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and Health Promotion Board (HPB) recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life. Unnecessary introduction of bottle feeding or other food and drinks will have a negative impact on breastfeeding. At around six months of age (but not before 4 months), infants should receive nutritionally adequate and age-appropriate complementary foods while breastfeeding continues for up to two years of age or beyond. Consult your doctor before deciding to use infant formula or if you have difficulty breastfeeding.

Abbott Singapore fully recognises breast milk’s primacy, value and superiority and supports exclusive breastfeeding as recommended by the WHO.

The content on this website is intended as general information for Singaporean residents only and should not be used as a substitute for medical care and advice from your healthcare practitioner. The HPB recommends that infants start on age-appropriate complementary foods at around 6 months, whilst continuing breastfeeding for up to 2 years or beyond to meet their evolving nutritional requirements. If no longer breastfeeding, toddlers can switch to full cream milk after 12 months. This should be complemented by a good variety of solid foods from the four main food groups (fruits, vegetables, grains, meat and alternatives). For more information on the nutritional requirements of infants and young children, please visit www.healthhub.sg/earlynutrition.

Cuddling with your infant is the best, and not just because of your infant’s soft skin and sweet smell, but also because of how beneficial it is for bonding, growth and development.

And much like how snuggling, talking and playing with your little one — things you'll love doing anyway — do wonders for stimulating your child intellectually, it can also help you learn important cues and habits.

Keeping your baby close can help you start to understand his hunger and comfort cues and this can be beneficial to his health and well-being.

But how? Let's take a closer look at a few science-backed benefits of bonding with your little one.

Support Baby Immune System

Research has also shown that kangaroo care — carrying babies and maintaining close body-to-body contact — is an effective way to successfully increase exclusive breastfeeding.

“During this critical time your baby’s brain is building hundreds of thousands of neural connections per day—faster than any other time in life.”

Support Cognitive Development

During the first year of life your baby is soaking in all the sounds and sights that surround them to help develop language and conversation skills as they grow. During this critical time your baby’s brain is building hundreds of thousands of neural connections per day—faster than any other time in life—setting the stage for learning, memory and cognition for the rest of their lives.

The importance of talking and stimulating your baby regularly cannot be overstated. The images and words your baby sees and hears creates opportunities for developing mental connections. In fact, research from northwestern university shows that exposure to human speech within the first year of life encourages far more than just language development. It also promotes learning, social skills and far-reaching cognitive development.

Finally, support your baby with reinforcement, encouragement and positive communication, every step of the way. This, combined with bonding, will help the relationship between you and your little one grow over the years to come.