From birth, moms are encouraged to spend as much time with their baby as possible, but what about the other parent? Do babies miss dad when he's not there? In a word, yes.
About Separation Anxiety
Between 4–7 months of age, babies develop a sense of "object permanence." They're realizing that things and people exist even when they're out of sight. Babies learn that when they can't see their caregiver, that means they've gone away.
While a baby's first attachment is often with their mother, the bonds that babies form with their fathers are just as important. Though babies form attachment relationships with other adults who care for them, the bonds with their parents are the most important ones.
Babies in the womb recognize their father before they are born if they hear his voice on a frequent basis. They may not understand what a father is, but they will recognize their parents' voices and feel reassured by familiar voices and sounds. Babies usually recognize their father's voice after their mother's.
1 to 4 Months
During the first few months of their lives, babies are paying attention to the faces around them. “They will start to recognize their parents' faces, along with other caregivers' faces, plus people who are familiar,” says Dr. Hoang.
Signs your baby misses you can include not eating well at first or even looking around for you. They'll also show considerable happiness when their parents return to them, Dr. Ganjian says. Ganjian urges parents to realize they're not causing trauma when they leave, and their child misses them.
The fact that your baby misses you when he is temporarily separated from you is a normal phase of development that virtually all children go through. It's a sign of his increasing maturity and growing understanding of the world around him.
Behavioral problems (fatherless children have more difficulties with social adjustment, and are more likely to report problems with friendships, and manifest behavior problems; many develop a swaggering, intimidating persona in an attempt to disguise their underlying fears, resentments, anxieties and unhappiness)
Because boys have the sex chromosomes XY, they must inherit their Y chromosome from their father. This means they inherit all the genes on this chromosome, including things like sperm production and other exclusively male traits.
Each family is unique and reasonable access for fathers depends on the individual circumstances. Some fathers see their children every day, while others might see them just once a month. Parents might share responsibilities and alternate weekend contact, or some fathers may have weekend contact every week.
At around that time they start to initiate social contact with their mothers. Only between about 3 and 7 months of age do babies start to show a strong preference or attachment for mothers, fathers or members of their own family in general.
Studies have shown that infants as young as one month-old sense when a parent is depressed or angry and are affected by the parent's mood. Understanding that even infants are affected by adult emotions can help parents do their best in supporting their child's healthy development.
Why Babies Sometimes Show Preference for One Parent. There are many reasons why babies may show a strong preference for one caregiver over another. Sometimes it's about proximity, routine, or familiarity. Sometimes it's linked to life events and developmental milestones.
Here's how it works: A baby who cries upon seeing her parent after a long separation is expressing his secure attachment to his parent.
The phase can start as early as six to eight months and continues until around age two – when object permanence is fully established.
Also, they have not yet developed the concept of object permanence?that a hidden object is still there, it just cannot be seen. Without these concepts, babies can become anxious and fearful when a parent leaves their sight. Separation anxiety is usually at its peak between 10 and 18 months.
Your children inherit their eye colors from you and your partner. It's a combination of mom and dad's eye colors – generally, the color is determined by this mix and whether the genes are dominant or recessive. Every child carries two copies of every gene – one comes from mom, and the other comes from dad.
Genetically, you actually carry more of your mother's genes than your father's. That's because of little organelles that live within your cells, the mitochondria, which you only receive from your mother.
Successful father-infant bonding during the immediate postpartum period has been shown to have several benefits for the infant: it reduces cognitive delay, promotes weight gain in preterm infants, and improves breastfeeding rates.
It could be because they're afraiding of making a mistake or repeating poor parenting from their own childhood. It could also be that they have other life obligations and don't understand the pain they are causing the child by not being present for them.
Whether intentional or not, the effects of rejection in childhood may include fear of intimacy, distrust, anxiety and depression, and people-pleasing behaviors. Feelings of confusion and emotional pain from rejection may lead to attachment challenges, ineffective coping mechanisms, or an overall sense of loneliness.
Your baby's not going to forget you. You should realize, though, that she will—and should—bond with other people. Look for a daycare center where there's one primary caregiver rather than a rotating staff, suggests Lawrence Cohen, PhD, author of Playful Parenting.
Babies and toddlers often get clingy and cry if you or their other carers leave them, even for a short time. Separation anxiety and fear of strangers is common in young children between the ages of 6 months and 3 years, but it's a normal part of your child's development and they usually grow out of it.
In short, yes: Babies do feel love. Even though it will be quite a while before they're able to verbalize their feelings, they can and do understand emotional attachment. Affection, for example can be felt.