Remember the first time you held your baby. The moment the nurse passed your newborn into your arms, your hands must have shivered, your heart must have missed a beat, and a tear must have rolled down your eyes. That’s the magic of holding your baby.
However, holding a newborn is not easy. It is natural to feel nervous, and there is a constant fear that the little one might just slip from your hold. While the apprehensions are understandable, you can work on making your hold safe and comfortable for your baby.
We help you in this as we tell you about the different positions in which you can hold your baby.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.
* Face-to-face holdThis 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.
* “Hello World” hold/ Chair holdGot 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.
* Football holdThis 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.
* 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.