While it is wonderful to have your baby stare deeply into your eyes while he breastfeeds, it doesn't usually happen, at least not during the newborn period. When he gets older, he might stop during his feeding to look up and give you a gummy smile and adoring gaze. Most babies don't meet their mother's eyes during breastfeeding for any period of time. As your baby gets older, he should make eye contact, but it doesn't have to be while breastfeeding.
Newborn Eye Contact
Newborns are very near sighted, KidsHealth explains. They can see objects, although blurry, at a distance of 10 to 18 inches, which is about the same distance from the breast to your face. Newborns don't yet see in color. Unconsciously, they direct their gaze toward shiny objects or color contrasts, such as the frame of a dark pair of glasses against white skin. When they nurse, newborns generally squeeze their eyes shut tightly. Since they need to turn their head toward the nipple to eat, they are not in an ideal position for eye contact during breastfeeding. By age 8 months or so, your baby develops more interest in their surroundings during feeding and might stop nursing to look up into your eyes, psychologist Dr. Jean Mercer explains.
When Eye Contact Begins
Most babies maintain eye contact for a short time between the ages of 6 to 8 weeks, according to Parenting.com. By 3 months, your baby should meet and hold your gaze. If you cannot get your baby to look directly at you at any time by this age, bring it to your pediatrician's attention.
Encouraging Eye Contact
The best way to encourage eye contact with your baby is to wait until he is calm and alert. Don't try to hold your infant's gaze for long periods of time; eye contact is an intense experience for infants, and eye contact can overstimulate your baby and cause him to turn away. Talk to your baby in a soft and slightly high-pitched, singsong voice to get his attention. Don't try to force his gaze when he is looking at something else or when he is already overwhelmed. If he starts to fuss, looks away, frowns or arches his back, he has had enough, the Zero to Three website explains.
Causes of Poor Eye Contact
A baby who is tired or hungry won't maintain eye contact. He must be in a quiet but alert state to want to make eye contact, according to Dr. Martin Stein, director of developmental-behavioral pediatrics at Rady Children's Hospital San Diego on the Parenting.com website. If your baby doesn't ever seem to look directly at you, you may be trying to catch his eye at the wrong times or hold his gaze too long. Vision problems could also cause lack of eye contact by age 3 months, although even babies with vision problems often look at faces, by following the sound of your voice, according to Dr. Mercer. Poor eye contact could also indicate behavioral or attachment problems, but it is important not to jump to conclusions, Dr. Stein warns.
No comments:
Post a Comment