If you’ve ever marveled at the parental instinct to awaken at all hours of the night to care for a newborn, or to find a diaper explosion endearing instead of disgusting, this intrinsic behavior you’re admiring all comes down to the parent-child bond.

Bonding is vital to your baby’s development – emotionally, mentally and physically – and it means you’re developing an attachment relationship in which your child views you as a trusted person in their life. They can rely on you to consistently care for their needs, and to provide experiences that make them feel safe to learn, to play and to explore the world around them.

Most parents assume that bonding happens quickly and naturally with consistent care and responsiveness to your baby’s needs, and that is the case for many parents. In fact, some moms and dads describe an “instant” feeling of bonding the first time they see or hold their new baby. However, bonding is a very complex and personal process, and it happens more slowly for some parents – and that’s normal, too!

Whether you’re looking to deepen your existing bond with your baby, or you’re working to develop your initial bond, research has shown that the following activities can strengthen this important parent-child relationship:

Touch

Babies thrive when they experience consistent, loving human touch. This can take the form of cuddling, soothing back rubs, gentle tickles during a diaper change, rocking to sleep and more. Touch is soothing, it serves as an early form of communication for babies and it promotes proper growth and development.

Eye Contact

Babies love looking into your eyes, and they feel a meaningful connection to you when they do so. Studies have shown that a baby’s brainwaves actually change during eye contact, in ways that help them begin to vocalize sounds in an effort to communicate with you. Breastfeeding and bottle-feeding are both perfect times to work on establishing eye contact.

Talking and Singing

As the above examples illustrate, babies are naturally interested in communicating with you so, unsurprisingly, they love to hear you talk or sing and will often light up when you do so. You may even notice your baby watching your mouth closely, as they already thinking about how to recreate the dazzling array of sounds they are hearing.

Responding to Crying

One of the very best ways to establish a long-term bond with your baby is to consistently and quickly respond to their needs. Although you may not always understand the reason for your baby’s crying, your willingness to respond and make efforts to soothe them are what forge a deeper bond between the two of you in the long run.

Bonding with your baby is an ongoing process, and it happens at different speeds for different parents. Regardless of the timeline you’re on, your efforts to bond with your baby are necessary for proper emotional, mental and physical development, and they create a special, trusting relationship that will always be unique to the two of you.