Researchers analyzed how 128 fathers interacted with their infants at three months of age and then followed up with the children at two years of age. They found that babies whose fathers were more engaged and active when playing with them in their early months of life performed better on thinking skill assessments than those with less engaged fathers. Study leader Dr. Paul Ramchandani adds, “Even as early as three months, these father-child interactions can positively predict cognitive development almost two years later, so there’s something probably quite meaningful for later development, and that really hasn’t been shown much before.”
Infant Mental Health Journal, May 2017