Based on a new study, a newborn baby who looks like their father is more likely to be healthy. The research shows that a newborn baby who looks like their father is more likely to spend time together with their father and, in return, will be healthier when they reach their first birthday.
Although the shape of a newborn baby's face does not affect how healthy they are, experts suggest that a close family resemblance urges fathers to spend more time with their newborn baby, and that's where the sound effects started to happen.
The more a newborn baby looks like their father, the more the father feels like the newborn baby is his, and the more bonded they feel with the baby because of how similar they look. Because of this, the baby becomes healthier.
The study
The team involved in the study said that there should be more effects made to keep fathers involved in raising their children, mainly in broken or fragile families, where mothers and fathers are not living together.
The study looked at over 700 families where babies lived with their mothers. The newborn baby who looks like their father was found to be healthier after one year.
The experts believe that the reason behind this is that fathers spent an average of 2.5 more days every month with their newborn baby than fathers whose newborn baby did not look like them.
Fathers and newborns
The extra time that fathers spent with their newborn baby who looks like them had led to better health, with fewer asthma attacks, as well as fewer health care visits for any illness. Also, they spend more time visiting a newborn baby who looks like their father because fathers become more confident that the newborn baby is theirs.
Based on the experts who made the study, the main reason a newborn baby who looks like their father tends to be healthier is that the frequent father visits make greater parental time for care-giving and supervision. That also includes information gathering about child health and their needs.
Aside from this specific study, other studies support this, as well. Many previous studies show that child growth can improve when both parents are involved, for example, and that a newborn baby who looks like their father urges fathers to spend more time with their kids.
Despite the reasons why fathers spend more time with their children, that time is crucial. For experts, studies like these show the importance of urging absent fathers to spend more time with their newborn baby and kids.
Pointing out that babies are better protected from harm when fathers are present, not to mention that they can get more care with both of their parents around.