Babies Who Look Like Their Dads Are Healthier For One Surprising Reason!

It’s Father’s Day! And this blog is sure to brighten up the day of all the daddies who look like their kids (just like ours!) 😀

When moms get pregnant, we hope and pray our baby is healthy and everything about them is normal. If they will look like us or they have our eyes or lips like we wished for, that would be an awesome bonus!

Now that I am a mother, I could say that nothing warms my heart more than seeing my husband go crazy over our little angel. Because let’s be realistic, not all dads are excited to have a child especially if they’re not ready or married yet. It’s easier for a mother to know the baby is hers, so I guess in some circumstances, the father may question his role. But man do I hope that’s rare. I hope that in most cases, the father falls in love with his child from the minute he holds him/her, whether he/she has got dad’s chinky eyes or mom’s curly hair.

dyosathemomma: Babies Who Look Like Their Dads Are Healthier based on studies, AmNiszhaGirl

dyosathemomma: Babies Who Look Like Their Dads Are Healthier based on studies, AmNiszhaGirl

Who wouldn’t love seeing a loving father bonding with his baby? That is probably the happiest scene ever the moment a child enters this world! But did you know that a study conducted at Binghamton University in New York concludes that babies who look more like their dads are actually healthier? And of course, we want to know WHY!

Babies who look like their dads are healthier because they receive more affection from them. And that extra affection ultimately impacts the babies’ health.

Totally makes sense! So why does it matter if the baby looks like his/her dad?

dyosathemomma: Babies Who Look Like Their Dads Are Healthier based on studies, AmNiszhaGirl

dyosathemomma: Babies Who Look Like Their Dads Are Healthier based on studies, AmNiszhaGirl

Well, according to the Fragile Family and Child Wellbeing study, seeing a resemblance subconsciously ensures the baby is actually Dad’s, making him naturally want to spend more time bonding with his child. In fact, the study found that “the dads who resemble their babies spent an average of 2.5 more days a month with the infants than others.”

No wonder Daddy Jaze couldn’t keep Ysha out of his sight! 😀

dyosathemomma: Babies Who Look Like Their Dads Are Healthier based on studies, AmNiszhaGirl

dyosathemomma: Babies Who Look Like Their Dads Are Healthier based on studies, AmNiszhaGirl

A study coauthor and economics professor at Binghamton University, Solomon Polachek, told Business Insider: “The main explanation is that frequent father visits allow for greater parental time for care-giving and supervision, and for information gathering about child health and economic needs.”

It’s been said that ”it takes a village to raise a child” but according to this research, having an involved father certainly helps!

Many evolutionary sociobiology studies support using father–child resemblance to explain a putative father’s investment. Because women do not need facial resemblance cues to decide whether to provide care, we expect baby looks affect child developmental outcomes only through a father’s investments.

dyosathemomma: Babies Who Look Like Their Dads Are Healthier based on studies, AmNiszhaGirl

dyosathemomma: Babies Who Look Like Their Dads Are Healthier based on studies, AmNiszhaGirl

I guess the good part of these findings is that they promote bonding time between the fathers and babies — since it’s clear that this special time does affect the baby’s well-being. The study reveals that the babies who got more attention from their fathers had “significantly more favorable health conditions”, such as being less likely to have to go to the ER or spend time in the hospital.

I am really very grateful that Ysha has not been hospitalized ever for 2 years! Guess I have to thank her dad for that too, then. 😀

Honestly, I cannot imagine a scenario in which a dad doesn’t instantly want to bond with his child. Ysha resembles her daddy Jaze in various ways, she pretty much is his clone! But I doubt he’d have hesitated to scoop up and snuggle the tiny being even if it was a little monkey came out of there. 😀 But, if you’re a dad, and you’re not feeling that natural bond, you may want to check out what this study says.

So here’s the most important takeaway: Dads, snuggle your babies. Their bond with Mom is important, but it’s gonna happen naturally. That’s given! They lived inside us for 9 months! And especially for moms who breastfeed like me, the babies are getting in that extra bonding time in a multitude of ways.

But your bond is crucial too, even if it takes a bit of extra work. Your child will feel loved, connected, and at least according to this study, healthier, if he sees your face more often. So get ready to up your patty-cake game! Your child is depending on it.

Happy Father’s Day to all the selfless, hard-working, loving and BEST dads of the world! We thank you for all you wonderful contribution to our kids. Financially & Physiologically. Hahaha!

What do you think about this study? Leave a comment below and let’s talk!

Love,

Momma Nish