Taking care of newborns: How to hold your newborn

0 to 1 years

Created by Dr. Pooja Attrey(PT)
Updated on Jul 07, 2020

Taking care of newborns How to hold your newborn

Motherhood is an unpredictable rollercoaster ride. It is full of overwhelming love and many uncertainties, but it is a hugely heartwarming and fulfilling experience. You might feel an overpowering love when you hold your newborn in your arms for the first time, or you may feel scared. It doesn’t matter, because the mother’s instinct will kick in at some point of time. It’s the skills for the road ahead that may require some training. But don’t worry! These skills can be learnt with some will power and patience. So here we are to help you. Under the series Taking Care of Newborn, we will first discuss the most basic but a very important skill in baby care—holding a newborn appropriately.

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Know Your Newborn’s Body

Before we tell you how to hold a newborn, here are some essential facts about your newborn’s body.

Newborns don't have enough body control and strength to support themselves
The head of the newborn is the heaviest part of the body, resting on a delicate and a weak neck
They don't have any head and neck control for up to the first two months, neither do they have any back stability and control for the first 4-5 months
By the time they’re 2-3 months old, babies start developing head and neck control, mastering it by 4 months and by 5-6 months they start developing back muscle control. They gain total control only by 8-10 months

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You have to pick up and hold a baby according to her age, and amount of self-controlshe has. Till she develops head, neck and back control, you need to cautiously support these parts in your arms and against your body while picking up and holding your baby.

How to Pick Up Your Baby?

Now that we’ve gone through the important facts about your baby’s body, here are some things to keep in mind when you pick him up each time.

Be calm, confident, loving and yet very cautious before picking up your baby
Take care of the soft spot on his head. This point should never be pressurized
Slide one hand under his head in such a way that the heel of your palm supports his neck, and your fingers span around and support his head. Slide the other hand under his bottom. Be loving but firm in your grasp at the head and the bottom
Now scoop your baby up and bring him closer to your body

Note: Babies respond to energies instantly. If you are nervous or anxious, he will automatically feel unsafe and uncomfortable. On the other hand, if you are composed, he will instantly feel at ease and comfortable.

How To Hold Your Baby?

There are two easy and popular ways to hold a baby--traditional cradle or shoulder hold.

Cradle Hold

After picking up your baby, make sure her head is resting against your chest
Now slide your hand from her bottom up to support her neck (your baby’s back should be resting against the length of your arm)
Gently move her head to fit into the crook of your arm
At this stage, her head and neck should be properly held in your arm's cradle; her back and bottoms should be supported by the same hand’s side

Your other hand will now be free to pat or play with your baby now.

Shoulder Hold

Rest the baby on your shoulder/upper chest, his head moved to one side, to let him breathe properly
Support his head and neck with one hand. Place the other hand under his bottom
From this position, you can also put same side's hand under his bottom and use the other hand for head-neck support

How To Lay Your Baby Down?

Reverse the all above mentioned actions for laying your baby down on a surface.

Transferring Your New Born to Another Person

When you’re handing over your newborn to your partner or anyone else, keep these things in mind.

The other person should preferably be sitting down when handing the baby over to him, to minimize the risk of falling. Hold the baby with one hand under the head- neck and the other under his bottom
Now carefully place the baby's head in the sitting person's arm’s crook. Their arm side and hand should support baby's back and bottom
Never leave baby's head support unless you are sure it is properly stabilized in crook of the other person's arm

After 6 months, as the baby's back control starts developing, you can shoulder hold her, making her sit upright on your lap, cradling her with both arms, but still holding her cautiously and supporting her back.

Holding During Feeding

Keep these tips in mind when you’re breastfeeding or bottle feeding your baby.

For breastfeeding, once you are comfortably sitting with proper back support, your baby can be cradled in your arms or over a nursing pillow that is placed on your lap
Make sure your baby is level with the breast and not with his neck bent too much.This can interfere with hisbreathing
If your baby is bottle fed, his head should be on a slightly higher plane than the rest of the body. If adjustment is required, adjust his head-neck rather than just tilting the bottle

It is advised to feed your baby in a sitting position for at least the first 6 months to reduce chances of choking, regurgitation of milk, and ear infection.

Holding During Burping

Now that he’s fed, you need to burp him. Here are some things to keep in mind.

For babies of 4-5 months, use shoulder hold and pat slightly over your baby's upper back till you hear the sound!p
Start patting from the bottom and move your hand upward to force the air out of your baby’s mouthp
Be gentle yet firm. Also, burping doesn’t come easily, so be patientp
For an older baby, make him sit upright on your lap, supporting him from the front with one hand. Pat his upper back with the other handp

Holding During Bathing

If you’ve been concerned about bath time and how to hold your little one so that he’s safe, here are some tips.

Pick up your baby, as described earlier, one hand under head and one under his bottom
Place your baby's bottom carefully in a slightly inclined bath tub's/chair’s lower end, still holding his head with one hand
Now with the help of the other hand, very cautiously and slowly put your baby's head down on the raised end of the bath tub/chair. Once done you can go ahead with bathing

Through the bathing process, do not leave your baby unattended at all.

Holding During Sleeping

When your little one is taking a nap, keep these things in mind.

You may make a baby sleep in an arm cradle but once they are fast asleep put them in their crib or bed
Do not sleep with a baby held in your arm’s crook.This may again cause positional asphyxia

Holding During Travelling

Journeys need not be stressful at all, when you’re travelling with your baby.

For more than an hour long journey, never hold your baby in cradle or your lap else you expose the child to potential jerk risk
Instead get a baby car seat installed if you travel frequently with your baby

Holding During Household Chores

We’re always prone to multitasking to get things done quickly. However, do keep this in mind

Never try to juggle baby in one hand and do chores with the other
You may end up hurting yourself and the baby as well
If you have to finish chores, use a body wrap/sling for babies up to 3-4 months’ age and use a baby carrier after 4-5 months

As a new mother, questions about your newborn and how to care for him, ensuring his safety, are very natural. Don’t hesitate to ask the doctor any question – remember that no question is a silly question. Happy Parenting!

We hope you found these tips on newborn care useful. Share your thoughts with us in the comments section!

This content has been checked & validated by Doctors and Experts of the parentune Expert panel. Our panel consists of Neonatologist, Gynecologist, Peadiatrician, Nutritionist, Child Counselor, Education & Learning Expert, Physiotherapist, Learning disability Expert and Developmental Pead.