Holding Babies, Why It Is So Important!

Newborns want to be held most of the time. It is nature’s way of assuring their survival and much more. Did you know that holding a baby is good for both you and the baby…

Babies are meant to be held! Skin-to-skin contact with both parents is great. All those cuddles strengthen the immune system, give a feeling of comfort and stability, increase circulation, lower blood pressure, and reduce pain, anxiety, and stress.

Being a parent is a demanding role, but the most rewarding one for sure. Cuddles and the closeness you share with your baby give you endurance despite occasionally feeling helpless yourself. The more love and hugs you give your offspring at every stage of their development gives them the best self-esteem and the basis for their whole lives.

“The single most important child-rearing practice to be adopted for the development of emotional and socially healthy infants and children is to carry the newborn/infant on the body of the mother/caretaker all day long…”
-James Prescott, Ph.D.

Let me add that this can be exhausting for a new mother. As much as she wants to do this, it is hard. The answer is the DAD. But then he has to work, so what then? No one can do it all!

These days there are amazing wraps that help you hold your baby while keeping your hands free. Dads and grandparents are also glad of the support that baby wraps can give.

And that is why Grandparents were invented!

As a grandmother, I can tell you it is a privilege and a joy to be able to be close to your grandchildren. It brings back all of the memories you had when your children were babies. It means you also get to encourage your son and daughter, the new parents. You get to pass on the good things you’ve learned in your life. Yes, experience does matter, and if you think you might have forgotten, it will all come rushing back the moment you hold that precious little miracle… your very own grandbaby!

You also learn new things; doctors and professionals have come a long way since our babes were in arms. You also get a chance to enjoy the process more. You are not as exhausted as you were back then. You get to re-appreciate your mom, your sisters, and your aunties for the help they gave you. Or, if you did not have the help you wish you’d had, you get a chance to be that for your children and grandchildren.

There is a story about a group of refugees who escaped over the mountains to safety during WW 2. They walked and walked, tired, hungry… and exhausted; they could hardly carry on. There was a baby with them in the group. Every time one of the adults would be ready to give up and not go on, they were handed the baby to carry. Miraculously, their strength was renewed, and they all made it to safety.

Holding a baby is something you never regret. Being held teaches a baby about love. Babies who are cuddled and held are less at risk for behavioral and emotional issues later in life.

Newborns are little sponges who communicate and receive communication right from the start. Newborns only cry to let you know something, even if it is just that they want to be comforted.

In referring to babies who have been placed in orphanage-style institutions or hospitalized for lengthy periods where they were not being held for more extended periods, a group of researchers, led by Alison Wismer Fries of the Department of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison noted in their study, published in 2005 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“This environmental change (that of being placed into a regular home after such a lack of being held and cuddled) does not seem to have completely overridden all of the effects of early neglect.”
Alison B. Wismer Fries and Seth D. Pollak – Co-Authors

Moms, Dads, and everyone caring for an infant sometimes feel frustrated. Just remember it won’t last, do your best, and try and arrange for some help. Grandparents are always willing.

Babies and Children of All Ages need to be held and hugged.

Before you know it, you will be picnicking in a park and enjoying nature. Babies love to be out in the fresh air, entertained by all that is going on around them.