Early infancy is a crucial time for mother and baby\u2014for breastfeeding, caring, bonding and development. However, when it comes to fathers during the post-natal period, public policy generally focuses more on their financial contribution. But we\u2019ve found important evidence challenging this approach to what new babies need from their fathers.<\/p>\n
Our study on the fathers\u2019 roles in early child development, conducted in the UK, has found that baby boys and girls showed cognitive gains at 24 months when dad engaged positively with them, from as early as three months of age. This gain was apparent across social classes, regardless of how caring mothers were, and irrespective of the fathers\u2019 education or mental health. Something special was associated uniquely with positive father care for young babies across a wide variety of circumstances. Even good mothering, for all its many benefits, wasn\u2019t a substitute for dad\u2019s added bit of magic.<\/p>\n
The picture remained true when we studied the same children at 24 months. Toddlers whose dads were sensitive and calm during a book-sharing session had better cognitive development. Given the drive to improve school readiness, this association between cognitive development and father-child interaction should encourage wider adoption of programmes to support dads reading with young children<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was something special, associated uniquely with positive father care for young babies across a wide variety of circumstances.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n More generally, the link between paternal interactions with infants and cognitive outcomes indicates the immense importance of interventions in early infancy that may help fathers interact well with their children. Since fathers\u2019 parenting styles are likely to mirror the parenting that they themselves received, the benefits of early support could cascade through generations.<\/p>\n Our findings come from a study of 179 fathers and their infants, born in the maternity wards of two hospitals in the United Kingdom. It is the first study to examine the long-term association between father-infant interactions as early as three months of age and later cognitive development in children at 24 months.<\/p>\n The early focus was critical, because infants at this age are developing rapidly and are highly susceptible to the quality of interactions with parents. The study was also unusual in looking at children from socioeconomically diverse families with co-resident parents \u2013 wealthier as well as poorer \u2013 rather than focussing, as is often the case, on children experiencing disadvantage or father absence.<\/p>\nNeed to support father-infant -engagement<\/h2>\n
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