Bonding Babies and Dads

“We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he or she is someone today.” - Stacia Tauscher Page 5 Bonding Babies and Dads

by Doug Nadvornick Reprinted with permission. First published by the Inlander on April 4, 2007 Jacob Barnett has fi gured out the remedy for his 4-month-old daughter Zalia’s stomach aches. “I rub her feet and it works,” he says. “It’s weird that massage can do that.” Soon after Zalia was born, friends of Barnett and his fi ancé Kim Conley gave them a gift certifi cate for four two-and-a-halfhour massage/parenting sessions with infant massage instructor Kim Harmson. “Massage allows parents to connect with their babies on a very deep level,” says Harmson. “There’s eye-to-skin contact. There’s vocalization. There’s looking into Massage is a pleasurable way to develop trust and intimacy with each other’s eyes. There’s reading and your baby and strengthen the bond responding to baby’s cues. It’s a connection between the two of you. that allows both sides to see so many Zalia gets excited and raises her legs, subtleties about each other so that later they awaiting his touch. can anticipate each other.” “Her favorite is the leg massage and her Harmson says massage is perfect for feet are ticklish,” Barnett says. fi rst-time parents who are hesitant about Harmson says massage is enjoying a handling babies and how much pressure they new surge of popularity. “There’s tons of should apply. research about the benefi ts, about bonding “She’s so small and [Barnett] was scared and attachment,” she says. “And it’s a good about hurting her,” says Conley. “Now he way for a working parent to come home and knows how to handle her and she defi nitely de-stress.” enjoys it.” And that’s one of Jacob Barnett’s favorite When he rubs his hands together (the things about it. “It’s our time together. It helps universal sign for massage, says Harmson), both of us to relax.”☺ Tips for Tips for Calming a Calming a Crying Baby Crying Baby Things to try: • Feed baby slowly & burp often Things to try: • Make sure baby’s diaper is dry

Feed baby slowly and burp often• Give baby a warm bath Make sure baby’s diaper is dry Give baby a warm bath • Dim lights & lower noise level Dim lights and lower noise level • Play soft music, sing or talk to Play soft music, sing or talk to baby in a calm voice baby in a calm voice • Hold baby close & rock gently Hold baby close and rock gently • Take baby for car or stroller ride

Take baby for a car or stroller ride • Call a friend or relative you trust

Call a friend or relative you trust • Put baby in a crib or bassinet Put baby in a crib or bassinet and and take a break take a breakNEVER SHAKE

NEVER SHAKE OR HIT A BABY OR HIT A BABY! Call 1-800-4-ACHILD, 24 hours/day Call 1-800-4-ACHILD 24 hours/day

Spokane Regional Health District • www.srhd.org

845 South Sherman Street • Spokane WA 99202 509-455-8722 • www.mlkspokane.org

Our Family Services Department provides local families with a support structure and nurturing environment. Parents actively participate in programs that help provide the tools necessary for their children’s future success. Prevention programs target low-income, at-risk families who are striving to make fi nancial security, family stability, healthy relationships and educational success a reality for their children. Intervention programs seek to break the cycle of inter-generational poverty, oppression, abuse and/or neglect. Most families in these programs are mandated for services by the state Department of Child and Family Services. Our Child and Youth Services Department works with Spokane-area children and youth, and provides them with a safe, holistic environment where they can learn and grow. Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) is a half day, state funded preschool program designed to help low-income or at-risk children and their families prepare for and succeed in school and in life. Child Care Program provides childcare to children before or after ECEAP and before school for school age children. Fulfi llment Maturity Enrichment Program (FAME) is substance abuse prevention after school program for children who attend Grant, Sheridan, or Roosevelt elementary schools. Summer Youth Academy and Teen Leadership Program (SYA/TLP) is a structured nine-week summer program designed to build self-esteem, promote diversity, and cultural awareness. SYA/TLP also promotes literacy, off ers recreational activities, and community service projects. In 2007 over 2,000 individuals from more than 800 families participated in programs off ered by the Martin Luther King Jr. Family Outreach Center.