It can take a few days, weeks, or even several months to truly bond with your newborn. Here are some ways you can speed up that process, even though you two don’t watch any of the same TV shows – not even the prestige ones!
Try doing other hobbies together.
Okay, so your baby watches Bluey and you watch The Last of Us – you can still connect on your other hobbies! What else does your baby like to do? Play with colorful blocks? Is that something you enjoy doing, too? No? What about rubbing mashed peas all over your face? Not a fan? Well, I’m sure you two will find something to connect on eventually – just keep trying!
Watch movies.
Just because you don’t watch the same shows, doesn’t mean you can’t watch the same movies. Your baby’s attention span is probably pretty shit, so you have some leeway here with which movies you choose. You could dip your toe into the world of cinema with classics that have been on your list forever like Casablanca or The Godfather, or you could finally watch some more recent hits like Parasite or Babylon. Babies know how to use Letterboxd, right?
Get personal!
Regardless of your differing hobbies, you can still connect with your newborn on a personal level. Share personal details about yourself like, “I’m your biological mother” or “I gave birth to you 34 days ago” – you and your baby should be developing a deeper and more meaningful understanding of one another in no time! Don’t forget to ask your newborn questions, too. Things like, “What’s your favorite mashed food?” and “Have you started developing memories yet?” definitely won’t prompt an answer – your baby is 34 days old, it can’t sleep through the night, let alone speak – but this will offer you and your wordless babe a moment of prolonged eye contact, and that’s important, too!
That’s it! Three foolproof ways to bond with your newborn in spite of the fact that when you tried to introduce them to The White Lotus, they thought it was just “meh.” It might take a few more months before the two of you are on a first-name basis – they can’t talk yet, remember? – but just keep at it and you two will be closer than ever. Plus, you’ll probably enjoy the same show at some point – we hear one-year-olds love Peaky Blinders.
