How to Use a Blanket to Bond with Your Baby
The bond between a parent and a baby is unlike any other. While the deep connection is immediate, finding ways to grow and nurture that bond in a fun yet meaningful way often takes a bit more creativity. Luckily, parents need little more than a soft, high-quality blanket, like a Baby Minky Blanket, for endless hours of bonding.
Here are 5 ways that you can use a blanket to bond with your baby:
#1. Cuddle Up
While it may seem obvious to use a blanket to cuddle with your baby, there are actually a lot of wonderful benefits of doing so regularly and with the same blanket. If you always have a warm blanket on hand, you’re more easily able to offer skin-to-skin between parent and baby, which has been proven incredibly beneficial for bonding with a new baby.
The blanket will also slowly start to absorb the scent of the parent, which will be comforting to the baby when the parent is unable to be nearby. To get the most out of this benefit, snuggle up with the blanket each time you are reading, feeding, or singing with your baby.
#2. Practice New Skills
Did you know that babies can start doing tummy time when they’re only a few days old and that even a few minutes of tummy time per day can make a huge impact on their strength? Some lucky parents have babies that love being on their bellies, but many babies find it uncomfortable. To make tummy time a fun bonding experience, lay your baby’s softest blanket on the floor under him or her and place an engaging toy a few inches in front of his or her face. The soft blanket will make tummy time more manageable, and the toy will be a welcome distraction.
As your baby develops more strength, around 4 months old, you can use the same technique to encourage rolling from back to tummy and back again. The blanket will be comfortable and familiar, and your baby will love playing with you as you help him or her figure out how to roll from side to side.
#3. Play Peek-A-Boo
Playing peek-a-boo is a big milestone for babies around 3 or 4 months old, and not just because it’s fun and leads to lots of smiles! The game of peek-a-boo teaches your baby the concept of object permanence; even though they can’t see you behind the blanket, they eventually learn that you’re still there.
Hold up a blanket between you and your baby as you ask “Where is baby?” in your most concerned voice. Remember to act surprised and give baby a big smile when you pull it down and exclaim “peek-a-boo!” It’s a simple game that’s as great for brain development as it is for bonding.
#4. Learn Hide and Seek
When babies are about 10 months old, they can start playing hide and seek. Simply take a small object, show the baby that you’re hiding it under the blanket, and then ask the baby to find it. This works great with little rings, stuffed animals, or blocks. It takes some practice, but the baby will eventually learn the game and will love playing over (and over!) again. After some time, your baby will probably want to do both the hiding and the finding! As your baby gets better at the game, you can surprise him or her by sneaking in extra objects or hiding the objects under different parts of the blanket.
#5. Get Outside
A little bit of fresh air does wonders for a fussy baby and is great for parents, too! Take your blanket outside to a garden or a park and lay on it with your baby. You can bring a few favorite toys to play with, a snack for a picnic, or just spend some time looking at different flowers and talking about the trees that you see around you.
Babies love seeing anything new, and sometimes the simplest change of scenery provides the perfect bonding opportunity. To minimize mess, bring a beach towel or picnic blanket to lay directly on the ground and place your soft baby blanket on top.
There are many ways to use a blanket to bond with your baby. While your baby grows and develops, you will find new ways to play and learn together, deepening your bond along the way. As long as you’re together, whether you’re playing or cuddling, it’s time well spent.