When the nurse brings your baby to you, you are filled with emotions. Your hands may shake, and tears of joy start streaming down your face. But like any other new parent, you may wonder how to hold a baby correctly. Every parent feels a sense of fear out of protectiveness for their baby while holding them in their arms. You may think things like, what if they accidentally slip out from your hands. However, you need to be gentle and calm while holding your baby despite the obvious nervousness. In this post, we help you out with it. We have put together a collection of information about steps for preparation along with the safest ways to hold your baby.
Prep Up To Hold Your Newborn
How To Pick Up A Baby?
To hold a baby, you should pick her up first. Place one hand under the head and another beneath the bottom. Now raise the body to your chest region. You can hold the baby in this position as long as you are comfortable holding the baby’s neck and head. Also, your baby likes to be held in some positions while she is uncomfortable in some others. Paul Patterson, MD, PhD, FAAP, a board-certified pediatrician and expert in developmental and behavioral pediatrics from Bethesda, Maryland, says, “When carrying a newborn, be sure to support their head and neck to prevent any quick head movements that may startle them or cause an injury. When picking a baby up from the lying down position, gently bring one hand behind their head and the other behind the child’s back or bottom. Then, gently lift them toward your chest.”
Choosing Baby Holding Positions
You can even try out different positions to understand what suits her the best.
1. Shoulder hold
This is one of the most natural holds for your newborn. Here is how you should do it:
With the baby’s body parallel to yours, lift her to your shoulder height.
Rest her head on your shoulder so that she can look behind you.
Support her head and neck with one hand, and the bottom with another hand.
This position allows your baby to hear your heartbeat.
2. Cradle hold
Cradling is quite simple and natural. Here is how you can cradle your newborn to sleep:
With your baby parallel to your chest level, slide your hand from her bottom up to support the head and neck.
Gently place your baby’s head into the crook of your elbow.
Now move your hand from the neck to the bottom and hips.
Bring your baby close to you, and you can quickly bring her to sleep.
3. Belly hold
Your baby will surely enjoy this baby hold. Here is how to handle the newborn:
Lay your baby with stomach facing down on one of your forearms with head up over the elbow.
Let her feet land on either side of your hand, at an angle closer to the ground level.
Lay your other hand across the baby’s back to make her feel secure.
This position can be helpful while burping your baby. Gently stroke her back to release the gas.
4. Hip hold
You can hold your baby’s hips once she gains complete control over her head and neck. So, try this position when your baby crosses three months. Here is how you can do this:
Face your baby outward and make her sit on your hip bones.
You should wrap your arm around her waist.
Your baby will be able to look at things around her comfortably.
5. Face-to-face hold
This hold will let you interact with your baby. Here is how you can try the hold perfectly:
Support your baby’s head and neck with one hand.
Offer support to her bottom with another hand.
Now hold the baby just below the chest facing you.
Enjoy making her smile and have fun interacting with her.
6. “Hello World” hold/ Chair hold
Got a curious baby? Then this is an excellent hold that makes her see what is going around. Here, she will sit on your hand as if she is sitting on a chair.
Let your baby lean back and rest on your chest so that her head has proper support.
Place one hand across her chest to prevent her from leaning on the sides.
Place your other hand under her bottom.
Give her a good support.
If you want to try the same hold while sitting, there is no need to support her bottom. This position is not recommended for babies below three months.
7. Football hold
This hold suits for feeding your baby, and you can use it while standing or sitting. Here is how you should do it:
Support your baby’s neck and head with your hand, and the rest of her back with your same forearm.
Adjust the baby’s head and neck with the other hand.
Make the baby curl towards your body side, with her legs extended behind.
Draw your little one closer to your chest.
Use the other free hand for offering extra support to the head or feed the baby.
8. Lap hold
This is another hold you can use while bottle-feeding the baby, and can be used while in a sitting position.
Place your feet firmly on the ground level when sitting, and take your baby onto your lap.
The baby’s head should be near your knees with face upwards.
Place both of your hands beneath the head for support, and your forearms all along the body.
Let her feet tuck in at your waist region.
How To Hold A Baby After Feeding?
When feeding the baby, keep her head raised from the lap or a crib (be it a football hold or a lap hold as mentioned above). After the feeding, keep her upright and pat her until she burps. Do not indulge in activities such as jiggling, playing, or bouncing with your little one right after the feed. It may lead to spitting up.
Tips To Hold A Baby Right
Pay attention to your little one’s mood while holding her. If she is crying or is fussy and irritated, change her position to make her comfortable. These tips will help you avoid discomfort for the baby: Dr. Patterson suggests, “Do not pick up a newborn by their arms, hands, or legs, you will want to always support the infant’s head. Newborns have three parts on their body that need to be supported during carrying and lifting. These include their fontanelles, or soft parts of their head/skull, their neck, and their bottom. Any time these three aspects of the baby are not supported when lifting or moving a baby, it puts your infant at risk of injury.” Keep these tips in mind, and you will hold the baby without any worry. It may be frightening at first, but with practice, you will master it.
How To Hold A Baby To Stop Crying?
There is a technique known as “The Hold”, demonstrated by Dr. Robert Hamilton, a practitioner at Pacific Ocean Pediatrics in California. He showed a live demo of the hold that consists of four steps.
Pick up the crying baby and fold her arms gently across her chest.
Secure the arms by holding them with your hand. This hand will also support her chin.
Now support the baby’s bottom with your other hand. Use the fleshy part of your hand but not the fingers for a comfortable hold.
Keep the baby at a 45-degree angle and move her gently. You can slightly swing her up and down but avoid jerky movements.
This technique is suitable for babies below three months. After that, they are heavy to hold in this position. Here is the video to demonstrate the position, which makes the babies stop crying in seconds.
How To Hold A Baby During Shower?
Bath times are fun times for babies. Here is how to hold a baby while bathing, to prevent accidents like drowning or swallowing of water.
While you lower your baby into the bathtub, hold her with one hand beneath her bottom.
Use the other hand to support her back and shoulders.
Once she is settled in the bath, you can use the hand which was supporting her bottom to wash her body.
With the other hand hold her firm and keep her head above the water level.
You can use a bath support to free your hands. A bath cradle also provides support while bathing a baby. If the child is old enough to sit, you can try a bath seat.
