What are bonding and attachment with newborns? Bonding and attachment are about always responding to your newborn’s needs with love, warmth and care. When you do this, you become a special, trusted person in your baby’s life. *Bonding with newborns: why it’s important *Bonding between you and your newborn is a vital part of development. When your newborn gets what they need from you, like a smile, a touch or a cuddle, your newborn feels the world is a safe place to play, learn and explore. This lays the foundation for your child’s development and wellbeing throughout childhood. Bonding also helps your baby grow mentally and physically. For example, repeated human contact like touching, cuddling, talking, singing and gazing into each other’s eyes make your newborn’s brain release hormones. These hormones help your baby’s brain to grow. And as your newborn’s brain grows, your newborn starts to develop memory, thought and language. Understanding your newborn’s bonding behavior Your newborn uses body language to show you when they want to connect with you and strengthen the bond between you. For example, your newborn might: *smile at you or make eye contact *make little noises, like coos or laughs *Look relaxed and interested.