Single dad

Talking and cooing with your baby is one of the best parts of being a new parent. Talking and playing are fun for you and your baby. However, it is more than fun. It also helps your baby to learn.

In playing with your baby, it is important that you gently interact with him in a back and forth manner. Smile at your baby and wait for him to focus on your face and smile back. When he smiles, you should smile even wider yourself and nod your head. Let him know you are happy that he smiled back at your smile.

Do this with cooing and babbling too. If your child babbles or coos at you, smile and gently coo back. If he answers you with another coo or babble, answer him back. Do this repeatedly. This is how babies learn to get along with other people and how they learn to have confidence that you are interested in them. When you talk and your baby coos back to you, important things happen. Your baby learns how to talk by hearing your words and trying to make the same sounds.

Your baby learns fast. As you talk softly to your baby and he “talks” back, you begin to know his sounds. When you mimic his sounds, you encourage your baby to try to make more sounds.

Talk with your baby as much as you can. He will learn to know his parents’ voices. This makes the bond between you and your baby stronger.

From the day, he is born, your baby is learning. When you talk with your baby, you are helping his brain develop.

•        Reading to your baby helps him learn. Reading to him starting in infancy will help him do better in chool, as he grows older.

•        Read aloud to your baby for a few minutes at a time. He will be able to pay attention for only a few minutes at first. Babies like to have things repeated over and over.

•        Read, say or sing nursery rhymes to your baby. This will help him learn, too.

Most parents know it when their babies are trying to communicate with them. Even simple gestures and gurgles can be quite expressive and often the message is strong and clear.
 
Here are some situations where it may help to take cues from your children:

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Do you think that your baby is too young for you to enjoy interacting with him? Think again. There is a lot you can do that will be fun for both of you. Additionally, it will also have a beneficial effect on your baby's development.

• Talk to your baby. Identify the different sounds and gestures particular to your baby. Try to interpret these gestures to understand what your baby is telling you. You may want to research sign language training for you and your baby if you’re interested in this mode of communication.
• Smile and coo at your baby. Your baby will soon learn to smile and coo back at you. This is not just a game—it will teach your baby about a two-way conversation.
• While changing, bathing, or feeding, tell the baby what you are doing. This way your baby will learn to associate your speech with the action you are performing.
• Give your baby different things to hold in his hand, like a rattle, a wad of cotton, a handkerchief, or a piece of paper. Infants enjoy finding out the properties of different objects. For instance, they learn to shake a rattle to produce sound, or crumple a piece of paper and straighten it out again.
• Encourage your baby to look at you and imitate what you are doing. This way, your baby will soon learn to put on a cap, pull off socks, open a book, and turn the pages one by one.

There are a number of reasons why parents select the baby names they do. It could be because they admire someone who has the same name. It could also be because a name is popular at a given time. On the other hand, an unusual baby name may be chosen precisely because it has novelty value. Sometimes, parents may even pick a baby name simply because they like its 'sound'. 

The meaning, thus, is not always the primary consideration while selecting a baby name. Having said so, it is important to realize that most names also have a definite historic or cultural meaning and significance. Here is a list of some popularly chosen baby names and their meanings.

• Andrew is a Biblical name, which means 'brave' or 'courageous.' Andrew is also the name of the first apostle.
• Anna is a Native American name that stands for 'mother.'
• Christopher is Latin for 'one who bears Christ in his heart.' According to an ancient belief, Saint Christopher carried the infant Christ across a river.
• Daniel is a name meaning 'God is my judge.' It is also the name of the prophet from the Old Testament.
• David in Hebrew stands for 'beloved.' According to the Old Testament, David was a king of Israel.
• Elizabeth stands for 'oath of God.' In the Bible, it is the name of the mother of John the Baptist.
• Ethan is a Biblical name that occurs in the Old Testament. It stands for 'strong,' 'constant,' or 'enduring.'
• Grace means 'God's favor.'
• Isabella is a Hebrew name that means 'devoted to God.'
• John stands for 'mercy of the Lord.' John the Baptist and John the apostle are two Biblical instances of the name.
• Michael is a Biblical name that stands for 'one who is like God.'
• Natalie is a Latin name that stands for 'born at Christmas.'
• Samantha is the female version of Samuel. It can be translated as 'listener.'
• Sarah is a Biblical name that means 'princess.' In the Bible, Sarah was Abraham's wife.
• Sophia is a Greek name meaning 'wise.'
• Victoria stands for 'victorious.' It was the name of a Roman goddess.

Coming up with gift ideas can often be quite tricky. And the problem is compounded when the intended recipient of the gift is a baby. This is because babies are too young to reveal individual preferences that can suggest appropriate gift ideas. Besides, babies grow fast. Thus, a baby gift that seemed ideal at the time of giving it may very soon become completely irrelevant.

So how do you buy baby gifts? Here are some ideas with which it may be difficult to go wrong:

Toys
All babies love to play with toys. Besides, there is an almost endless variety of them available. You can choose from soft cuddly animals, toys that display automatic movement, those that emit sounds or interactive toys that respond to the baby's actions. The most important thing while buying toys as baby gifts is the safety aspect. Only buy toys, which are certified safe for babies.

Clothes
Clothes may be another good baby gift option. Also, because babies outgrow their clothes quickly, your gift is likely to be used and appreciated. For newborns, always buy clothes for babies at least 6 months older unless you are really in charge of setting up the nursery. New parents always have a lot of things for the first months, but will need more things for a bit later on.

Blankets
Blankets are actually traditional baby gifts that were given to newborns in some societies. You can choose from a variety of designs and colors, or maybe even get one of those with a personalized greeting or message written on it. A treasured blanket sometimes stays with a child for many years.

Keepsake Kit
This is an exciting baby gift idea, especially for a newborn. A keepsake kit helps to preserve early memories of the baby such as photographs, things used by the baby, or hand and foot impressions. This is one baby gift that will be enjoyed by both, the child and the parents, for many years to come.

For most parents it can be an enjoyable experience to set up a baby nursery. A baby nursery will provide a safe corner for your baby to romp and play. For this reason, it is important that you put in adequate thought and care into setting up your baby's nursery.

Here are some things you will require to furnish a baby nursery:

• To start with, the most essential thing your baby's nursery will need is a crib. Ensure that the crib you invest in subscribes to safety standards. Ensure that the bars are not too wide apart—2 and 3/8 inches. The rails should be high enough to prevent your baby from crawling out. Also, buy a mattress and linen for the crib.
• A changing table will be another essential item for your baby nursery. Again, safety should be paramount—safety belts and a guardrail will prevent your baby from falling off. The changing table should always store clean diapers, powder, baby creams, and other accessories you require to change your baby's diapers. Having the garbage can (or diaper genie) for dirty diapers and a laundry hamper nearby will be convenient for you.
• Have a soft night-lamp in the nursery. Lamps with adjustable brightness are best as they allow you to brighten the light if required.
• A mobile hung over the crib will not only keep your child engrossed, but also help to develop your baby's senses.
• You can decorate the walls of your baby nursery with bright pictures, toys, or stuffed animals.
• A glider chair will be an added asset to your baby's nursery. It can be used to rock the baby to sleep at night and is safer than a rocking chair.
• You can even buy special closets and baby coat hangars to hang some of your child's clothes.

Babies, and children younger than two years of age, often express preference for the mom over the dad. However, this changes between the ages of two and four when children start to look upon the dad as a partner in play. Young boys, especially, look upon their dads as heroes and try to imitate the way they talk, dress, and act.

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Young infants develop a strong attachment towards the mom. At this age, they are completely dependent upon her for their needs, such as being fed or being put to bed. It is only when they start growing older those children starting accepting the dad as a parent. Little boys, as they become aware of their common gender, begin to look upon the dad as a role model. However, little girls too form equally deep bonds with their fathers.
 
Here are some of the factors responsible for the close bond that daughters share with their fathers:

• First man in their life: The father is usually the first man in a little girl's life. Girls usually develop their idea of 'maleness' from their fathers, and this influences the way they will view other men in their lives. Fathers, thus, lay the groundwork for the type of relationship that their daughters will share with men later in their life.
• Self-evaluation: Young girls usually depend on their mothers to help them form their definition of 'womanhood'. However, a loving father is important to help a young girl develop self-esteem. His appreciation of her defines how she evaluates herself as a woman.
• Security: Fathers provide daughters with a sense of security. A warm and trusting relationship with her father makes a girl feel 'wanted,' and reassures her that she will always be protected from harm.