While parenting a newborn, it can be easy to fall into the habit of isolating yourself into something of a baby bubble. During those first few days, months – and who are we kidding, years – your little one’s schedule, toys, songs, and overall needs entirely eclipse your own.
Especially for new parents, the baby learning curve demands absolutely everything you’ve got. Once you develop a nice post-natal routine, it’s sometimes challenging to make room for other adults within your bubble. Throw in the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic made literal safety bubbles a necessary reality, and suddenly it’s that much harder to keep your loved ones in the loop about your baby.
Sharing the joys, triumphs, and struggles of raising a child are part of how you grow into your role as a parent. But it’s also an important contribution to your baby’s social, emotional, communication, and cognitive development, as babies can learn a great deal from engaging with people outside their daily circle of care. Secondary caregivers like grandparents, aunts, uncles, and even very close friends can offer a wealth of resources for babies and parents alike.
So, whether your bubble is built by distance, health concerns, or simply the busyness of life, here are three simple, yet meaningful ways to engage the secondary caregivers in your baby’s life.
1. The In-Person Playdate
Playdates aren’t just for socializing babies and kids; they’re also a great way to encourage social and emotional bonding between your baby, their loved ones, and other significant adults. There’s something intimate about sharing space with other humans while providing your little one with the opportunity to play, babble, cuddle, and observe other people in a hands-on social setting.
In-person meetups – while preferable – aren’t always possible, but don’t worry, it’s the 21st century, and we’re lucky to have heaps of digital options for staying connected!
2. The Video Chat
Between the global pandemic and long-distance families, there are plenty of obstacles keeping parents and babies isolated from loved ones these days. Thanks to technology, however, video calls are the next best thing to give secondary caregivers the face time they crave with you and your baby.
You might find your little one may not be as engaged with conversations and playtime through a screen but exposing them to new voices and faces on video is still a worthwhile pursuit. Plus, it’s great socialization for parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles – and you’ll all love watching your baby together, even if only digitally at times!
Think of video chatting as a way to bridge any gaps in your baby’s communication, socialization, and emotional development while you’re separated from loved ones! It’s a good idea to prioritize video calls with secondary caregivers when allocating screen time, if capping screen time is something you want to do (it’s quite helpful, particularly for babies and toddlers).
3. The Group Photo Share
While we’re talking about modern digital solutions, let’s consider the group photo share option that allows for a more day-to-day connection with secondary caregivers. Setting up group photo chains enables all parties to add photos of your baby’s special moments. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and others can stay engaged and connected by enjoying pictures you send and adding their own, all without the time constraint and logistical barriers of video chatting or in-person visits.
Digital innovations have revolutionized parenting, but there are so many different options for sharing photos. It’s hard enough to find time for yourself, let alone to text ten different people the new word your baby just said! What if there was a way to share the excitement of baby moments and photos all in one place? That’s one of the powers of the Marble app.
The Marble app allows both primary and secondary caregivers to collaborate on capturing your baby’s precious moments while tracking special milestones and daily activities like feeding, diapers, and sleeping in real-time. Plus, Marble’s unique photo timeline feature enables caregivers to attach and organize photos by milestone and age for easy sharing and memory-making.
Eager for an easy way to share your baby’s life with loved ones? The Marble app empowers modern parents to track baby developmental milestones, create photo timelines, and access an extensive library of evidence-based resources – all sharable with secondary caregivers at the tap of your finger.
Click here to subscribe and learn how and you can get started with the Marble app!
Back
