Eye contact while baby is nursing?
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Dr Laura,
My 5 month old DD will not make eye contact while she is latched on. She makes eye contact easily and happily otherwise, but while nursing, she either closes her eyes or stares at something else. I do not know if this is something I should be concerned about, she is happy, healthy, and social all other times, but I recently read that nursing is a good time for bonding through eye contact. I am wondering if I should encourage more eye contact while she is nursing, or just let her enjoy less stimulation during this time. Maybe I am being silly, she really is wonderful and happy all the rest of the time, but I still wonder if we are missing something?
Not to worry. Many babies do like eye contact while nursing. Other babies don't. Every baby is different, and every baby goes through different phases. So some little ones like your daughter start off with no interest in eye contract while nursing, but will INSIST on eye contact by the time they're eight months old.
I remember having exactly this concern at one point during my son's babyhood and reading a comment along the lines of "Don't force your baby to look at you while he's nursing. Would you want to be tapped on the shoulder while you're making love?" (For the record, my son is now in college and is a very communicative, easy to connect with person who makes great eye contact!)
As long as your daughter makes eye contact easily and happily at other times, then she's just letting you know that she's content in your arms having a wonderful time, and wants to focus on the pleasure at hand. As always, you can trust her to let you know what she needs! Blessings, and enjoy your baby!
