As you go about caregiving routines, sing songs and let your baby grasp your finger while moving to the rhythm of the song.
Informing babies about what you want to do next as part of routine care allows them to trust and be attached to you as their caregiver. The development of trust Erickson, M. F., Korfmacher, J., & Egeland, B. (2008). Attachments past and present: Implications for therapeutic intervention with mother–infant dyads. Development and Psychopathology, 4(4), 495–507. doi:10.1017/S0954579400004843 Schaffer, H. R., & Emerson, P. E. (2008). The development of social attachments in infancy. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 29(3), 1–77.
During the first year of life, babies in cultures around the world are fed, carried, cleaned, and comforted through touch. Tactile sensation provided by parents and caregivers helps satisfy infants’ physical needs and affects emotional development.