How to hold the baby?

Holding a baby, rocking it and caressing it is a pleasure and a wonderful experience. Parents, especially new ones, experience some fear and repair when holding their newborn in their arms, they feel fear and insecurity because they do not know if they are doing well. However, the paternal and maternal instinct is stronger than any instruction manual technique, and in a few days the fear disappears and one becomes an expert.

• Holding a baby in your arms is a rewarding experience that enhances the baby's self-esteem and emotional health.
• There are no instructions on how to hold a baby. The affection and paternal instinct is more than enough.
• In any case, it is about paying special attention to how to support your head.

Top tips

Holding a baby in your arms is a very beneficial experience for both parents and children as it favors the baby's self-esteem and emotional health. In this sense, there are some basic tips that are important to know.

• The newborn is very fragile so we must handle it with care, making gentle and safe movements at the same time.
• The baby is not yet able to support his head on his own. In this way, a hand must always support his little head, both when we take him in our arms and when we put him to bed. In fact, they are so small that with the same hand we can hold the upper part of the back and the head.

Most common positions

Until the little one is able to support his head on his own, there are basically three ways to hold the newborn.

Face down, resting on the forearm

This is a position that babies like very much. This is lying on the forearm, with one hand holding the bottom and the face resting on the inside of the elbow, looking out. It is a very effective position to calm the colic of the infant since the arm provides a light massage in the tummy.

Face up, resting on the forearm

The posture is similar to the previous one but the baby's back is the one that remains supported on the forearm, face up. This position allows greater visual contact with the newborn, we can talk to him and use the other hand to caress him.

In an upright position resting on the chest

When holding the baby in this position, we must always support his head, as he does not yet have the necessary strength to keep it upright on his own and any sudden movement could cause him to head abruptly. This position favors attachment by being in greater contact with the body heat of the mother or father.

Regardless of position ...

Regardless of the position chosen to hold the baby, the following recommendations should be taken into account:

• Avoid holding the baby with dirty hands.
• Take it lovingly, addressing the baby with sweet words.
• Hold it securely.
• Try to make him feel comfortable.
• Try to change the position of the baby so that the head does not always rest in the same point.
• Support the head when picking it up and laying it down.
• Prevent small children from picking up the baby.