Just about every study done on bonding and attachment seems focused on moms and their children. Few researchers have taken a look at the father-child attachment issues, but there are some findings that shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. The fact is that the father-child bond is as important as the mother-child bond.
Da Da
The more actively involved a father is the higher the score of six month olds on motor and mental development tests. For babies who have their daddy handling the most mundane of daily activities including feeding, giving baths, dressing and changing diapers handle stressful situations better than babies who don’t have daddy involved.
There are even some researchers who are linking high levels of daddy involvement with higher math scores later in school and as well as high verbal intelligence scores. Ultimately, active fathering correlates with increased social competence and adjustment as well as higher levels of self-esteem.
The Bottom Line
Babies’ benefit from time spent with both mom and dad. Babies who live with sensitive and responsible parents are going to be better off than kids who don’t. Babies are not the only ones who benefit from daddy time and daddy involvement. The other big payoff goes to Moms because division of labor issues may stress a marriage, but the more support mom gets from dad and vice versa, the less stress both parents are going to feel.
They are going to be enjoying their time spent with baby and men enjoy being dads. The relationship between daddy and baby is going to be different from the relationship shred by mommy and baby – but different does not and should not equal less or worse. Dads need to involve themselves and Moms need to encourage them to do so.
It’s a win win win situation for Mommy, Daddy and most importantly — baby. How do you encourage daddy and baby attachment time?
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