Bonding direction is best described as which of the following?

Bonding direction is best described as which of the following?

• A. Bidirectional between parent and infant.
• B. From infant to parent only.
• C. From parent to newborn only.
• D. There is no direction to bonding.

Answer: (C)

Bonding is the parent's emotional connection to the newborn. It is best described as flowing from the parent to the newborn because the parent typically initiates the emotional tie—developing love, care, and a sense of protectiveness toward the baby, often starting during pregnancy and strengthening after birth. The infant’s responses (cues like crying, smiling, and eye contact) can then invite and reinforce that bond, creating a reciprocal exchange, but the starting direction is from parent to child. Saying bonding is infant-to-parent or bidirectional shifts the emphasis away from who most often initiates the emotional connection.