The Baby Bonding Book for Dads by James di Properzio

Author:James di Properzio [Properzio, James di; Margulis, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781623430405
Publisher: Willow Creek Press, Inc.

BONDING IN NATURE

While it may be true that many fathers, given the choice, would rather plop down on the couch with Baby over one shoulder, a drink in one hand, and a movie on TV than go hiking, the majority of babies would rather you take them outside. Now. No matter the weather.

When our second born was a temperamental infant, the fussing stopped the instant we stepped outside. Being surrounded by interesting sights and smells and sounds calmed her at once, and as soon as we stepped back in over the threshold, she’d start fussing again. Her less temperamental siblings also loved being outside, whether they were being hiked up a mountain, ridden in a baby seat on the back of a bicycle, or walked in the woods.

Spending time outdoors with your baby is as grounding for you as it is for the baby. Studies suggest that humans, who have spent the vast majority of our evolutionary history in hunter-gatherer groups that have direct daily contact with nature, feel less stress and more well being when we are outside. Some men experience angst when they become fathers, fearing that their old lives are over and their new lives involve nothing but spit-up cloths and dirty diapers. Taking a baby with you on your favorite outdoor activity (our friend Peter used to fly fish with his son in a back carrier) is also a way to bridge the gap between your old daring life and your new responsible one.

Like to bike? In Africa and other places around the world, it’s common to see an infant strapped to his mother’s back while she rides a bicycle, or a one-year-old sitting on the back bike rack in front of a sibling, while his father cycles at top speed. In America we’re a little more safety conscious and any bike contraption you buy to haul your baby will come with a specific set of warnings about when the baby’s ready to go in it. The official word is usually at about one year of age, when they can sit up unaided and have strong enough neck muscles to wear a helmet. A bike enthusiast, I started tooling around town and out on the bike path with my kids well before their first birthdays. But don’t tell anyone.

Those shared experiences outside become your family’s history and make up your kid’s memories of his childhood. I still remember when my parents had one of those clunky old-fashioned bike seats with a metal pipe frame and red-and-black checked vinyl cushions. I would sit behind my dad and—according to him—pat his back, pull his shirt, and chatter nonstop the whole time he was riding. The part I remember is bicycling up the hill to Main Street, past the big waterfall on a stream that connected my two favorite parks, through the little downtown and under a railroad bridge. I knew when I saw the black metal trestles overhead that we were almost at the ice cream store. My

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