In "The Baby Bonding Book," Dr. Joanna Parga-Belinkie helps overwhelmed new parents focus on what truly matters in the early stages of parenting building a connection with their child.

Building strong connections is the central message in Dr. Joanna Parga-Belinkie’s new release, "The Baby Bonding Book." Dr. Parga-Belinkie, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics, highlights the importance of fostering a relationship between parents and their infants, which she describes as the most meaningful part of early parenting.

She explains that while new parents are often inundated with advice regarding feeding, sleep schedules, and developmental milestones, the most critical factor for a baby’s brain development is having safe, stable, and nurturing relationships. Dr. Parga-Belinkie reassures parents that their attentive presence is vital, stating, “You’re your baby’s favorite toy,” emphasizing that parents play a significant role in shaping their child.

Bonding can take various forms, including holding the baby skin-to-skin, which has been shown to have a calming effect and improve vital signs, particularly for premature infants. However, Dr. Parga-Belinkie notes that any form of skin-to-skin contact is beneficial and there is no minimum required amount. She also addresses common concerns about postpartum anxiety and depression, underlining that immediate connections may not always form and that relationships with a baby take time to grow.

On sleep practices, Dr. Parga-Belinkie cites the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendation that babies should sleep in the same room as their parents but on a separate sleep surface to ensure safety. She encourages parents to focus on responsive, attentive care, reminding them that being there for their child is foundational for healthy development.



Why bonding is the heart of infant care

It can be hard for new parents to source through all the noise and then they're reading books and then they're on Instagram and there's lots of information from all sides. So the book called The Baby Bonding Book does help here. So to help parents guide through the journey of infant care, the author is here, Joanna Parga-Belinki is a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics and she says the most meaningful part of parenting is, what is that? Is bonding with your baby and forming a relationship with them. It's so important. So when people are thinking about sleep hours, wake windows, setting, I had all the apps for like the wake windows, how long should your baby be awake, formula, breastfeeding, all of that noise, doesn't that matter too? You know, the most important thing to build a baby's brain is that they have safe, stable and nurturing relationships around them that are going to bolster their brain development. So when parents ask me questions like that, like how do I stimulate my baby? How do I make sure that they're developing well? I always say you're your baby's favorite toy. You know, you're the one who's going to be shaping the person that they become. And so think about what qualities you want them to have as they grow. And they are studying you. It's amazing. I mean, you ever see a baby on a plane, they're just like looking at you through the seat crack or something and you're like, hi, hello. And only they're allowed to do that. Only they're allowed to do that. Hold the stare. Hold the stare. But I'm so glad you wrote a book about bonding because it seems like it's so natural and intuitive. But when that baby is there, you don't necessarily feel what society says you're going to feel right away. And I wanted to put a voice to that because it's so important that people know about postpartum anxiety and postpartum depression. These things are real. They happen. And, you know, birth parents and even parents or caregivers don't have to have this instant love connection with their baby. Relationships take time to build. They take time to grow. And they're worth it. They're worth putting that time and investment in. So I always say give yourself permission to step out of your busy life and really connect with your baby. Again, it's going to be what grows their brain. Okay, so what constitutes bonding? Is that just holding your baby? Is that skin to skin? I remember when my babies were newborns, like, you know, you do feel this pressure. I'm like, okay, what do I need to be stimulating them with? I heard about these black and white cards and I was like, oh, I'm missing the boat on that. But what fundamentally is bonding? What are the things that create that? Yeah. So bonding takes a lot of forms. So you mentioned holding your baby skin to skin and I work in a neonatal intensive care unit or a NICU where we can watch a baby's vital signs, their heart rate and other things when skin to skin is happening. You know, I mostly care for babies who are born maybe a little premature when we watch that. But it's incredible how they get relaxed and calm and how their vital signs change. And we can imagine for term babies too that are at home with their parents, they're getting real stimulation and feedback from just being close to your body. But there's also the loving and attentiveness that really goes into newborn care. I mean, it's demanding, right? It's a 24-7 job to be caring for a newborn and it can be exhausting. But what the baby really needs is someone who's there for them, who's responding to them. And when they have an issue, it's okay if you don't know what that issue is and you're not getting it 100% right when they're crying. What is important is that you are trying. You're attentive. Yes. You feel that connection. Yes. And they are, they know, hey, someone's here for me. Someone is here to watch me and take care of me. Is there a minimum amount of skin that needs to be part of Skin to Skin? Because like, you know, sometimes you just do a little bit of like, you know, a little kind of bit of chest to chest or something. Or should the baby's shirt be completely off? You know, it depends on what you're doing. I always like to get babies naked for breastfeeding if that's something that you're doing because it helps wake them up and stimulate them. But really any Skin to Skin is good, right? It's going to help you bond. It's going to help the baby feel this closeness and a little bit of connection too. So there's not a required amount. And I think when you're breastfeeding, it's nice to have them naked, just especially when they're in that newborn phase to wake them up, to get them going. Our final 15 seconds. Do you have a yes, no on the sleeping in the same bed as the baby, the baby sleeping in your bed? So the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends not bed sharing, but having baby close by and in the room with you so that you have that connection and closeness and being in a safe sleep surface. So that's alone, you know, on their own surface, on their backs. Thank you. Thank you, Parga. Balinky, appreciate it. The Baby Bonding Book is out today. Thanks for bonding with us.

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