Parenting Mysteries: You Brought Home Baby - Now What?

Here you are, a brand new parent and proud as can be. You brought home your little bundle of joy, and you are simply awed and amazed at how perfect this little human being is. The odds are pretty good that you could spend hours just staring at this little person. At some point, however, you might be wondering just exactly what you are supposed to do now. After all, you are supposed to be playing, reading, and doing a host of other activities to ensure that your little baby is off to a good start, right?

Relax! The very first week, your baby will probably spend much of its time eating, sleeping, and filling up its diapers. Young infants such as these do not do much playing. As a matter of fact, the odds are pretty good that the little one will not care if you read Mother Goose, the book of Revelation, or War and Peace out loud. What does matter is that you interact with your baby.

These early interactions should take the form of skin on skin contact, if at all possible. Even without the skin to skin contact, your baby will love to just be held in your arms, hear your voice as you speak or sing, and just gaze into your eyes. You two are getting to know each other face to face, and while this interaction may seem like it is not leading to too much, it is extremely important and valuable!

You should never be too busy to snuggle with your baby, respond to its cries, speak and sing to the little one, and just take the time to imitate its little coos as you make eye contact. The dishes can wait, the toilet does not have to be scrubbed right this minute, and the letters can wait another day to be mailed out. What cannot wait is the golden opportunity to get to know your baby. At this point in time, this is the most important aspect of parenting. Soon enough the baby's interests will branch out to include other people, toys, and other items she or he will be able to grasp; yet, at the beginning, it is just the two of you enjoying each other's company. So do not worry about what you should do once you brought home your child. It will let you know when it is time to eat, get cleaned up, interact, and simply rest. Follow its lead and you will be amazed how quick time flies!