hen a baby is first born, men often indicate that they don't feel very close to the baby.  Although mom's carry the child for 9 months, feel it kicking and turning inside of them so the relationship foundation begins much earlier.  I know with my first child I struggled to feel that bond right away. I certainly loved my child, but the deep emotional connection was not as strong as my wife's.  I think this is a common issue with men. So for this podcast, we are providing some tips on how dads can increase their bond with the baby.  As you can probably imagine, all of the tips pretty much have to do with spending more time with the child.

Here are 9 tips for you to get closer and bond with your baby:

1) Skin to Skin Contact - take your shirt off and lay the baby down on your chest

2) Feed the child - take the feedings in the middle or anytime you can. If your wife is breastfeeding and you have a pump, you can then do the feeding from the bottle.

3) Bath the child - most babies love bath time. I know both of my kids did. Splashing in water and playing with toys was a good time from the beginning.

4) Read to the child - Whether it's some random time or part of the bedtime routine, them hearing your voice is important. It's ok even if they are clueless and have no idea what you are saying. There are books that allow children to squeeze, bite, and pull on them and they don't rip.

5) Change diapers - I once had a guy tell me that he had 4 grown kids and was proud that he never changed a single diaper. I personally wouldn't be proud of that.

6) Baby massage - Touch is really good for a baby. There skin is so soft too. My children to this day still love getting any massage they can get.

7) Make silly faces and noises - Men are tpyically good at voices and doing silly things. There is nothing better than a baby's laugh. Heck, billions of YouTube views are dedicated to babies laughing.

8) Pick the baby up with it cries. Even if the baby prefers mommy, continue to do so

9) Spend alone time without your wife - If your wife is the primary caregiver, tell her to go somewhere and you spend the time alone with the child. It gives her a break but also allows you to spend quality time with your child one-one-one. There is no mommy in the distance that the baby can see.