How to hold a baby correctly

As soon as the baby is born and you hold him in your arms for the first time, the question arises - how to hold him correctly. A newborn, even wrapped in three layers of diapers and blankets, seems fragile and defenseless. You may even be scared to take him in your arms, especially when there are many more experienced comrades around who are critically looking at your timid attempts. More than one newly-minted father has gone through similar torments, but there is no need to despair. It is within your power to learn to handle your child easily and confidently, to hold him correctly in your arms, and even to enjoy it.

Newborn - let's study the materiel

No matter how small and helpless a newborn may seem to an adult, in fact this baby is capable of enduring such tests of strength
that even a strong man would suffer.
The baby's head, passing through the birth canal, is compressed by a third! The body also experiences pressure and twisting. In general, if you carefully and carefully pick it up in your hands, it will definitely not spoil. It is much stronger than it looks. lectures on babies
before giving birth in order to learn more about the baby who will soon appear in your home.
Typically, such lectures in childbirth preparation courses are combined with practical classes, in which they will not only tell and show how to hold a baby correctly, but will also help you for the first time independently swaddle, bathe and change a toy baby doll the size of a newborn baby. This can be compared to driving
before obtaining a license and the first independent trips in your own car. It’s easier, calmer and safer to learn and practice in courses (and on dolls) under the supervision of an experienced person than in the “combat conditions” of your own life.

Hold his head!

Yes, the neck muscles of newborns are still weak and cannot yet hold such a large head. But the child’s head won’t fall off, don’t be afraid! You need to remember only one rule - the baby can bend his head forward even when he is held vertically, but bending his head back should be avoided
.
Therefore, if a baby is suddenly handed to you, you can confidently hold him “face down” so that the baby’s head hangs on his chest, as in the picture at the top of the page. It's absolutely safe for the baby and quite easy for you. If the child is sleeping or is swaddled in a “pillar”, then to hold the head
in the crook of the elbow so that the head does not fall back (because if this happens, the child will not be able to change the uncomfortable position on his own, there will not be enough muscle strength).
For a better understanding of “how to hold”, watch the video
on this page.

General recommendations

In the first month of a baby's life, you need to hold it very carefully. During this period of development, his spine is formed. To properly hold the baby, the following tips will help parents:

• Be sure to hold your newborn's head as his neck muscles are not yet strong.
• The child’s body should have three support points - in the area of ​​the shoulder blades, pelvis, and also under the back of the head.
• The baby should be carried alternately on the right and left arms.

One important point to remember is that the child can bend his head forward even if he is held in an upright position, but it is recommended to avoid tilting his head back. Therefore, when a baby is handed to you, you can safely hold it “face down” so that the baby’s head hangs down on its chest. It's quite simple for you and, most importantly, absolutely safe for the child.

We flex our muscles

Once you've become comfortable with holding your baby's head, you can learn other, more dynamic ways to move through space with your baby in your arms. And here, too, you need to know some tricks in order to properly carry a child in your arms. When the baby is awake and his movements are not limited, you can pick him up and develop
him at the same time.
It’s as if every time you change clothes or get up from a chair, you do a couple of push-ups and squats, or memorize a poem. Simple and effective. Only in the case of a baby, it is the adult who helps the child “work his muscles.” We call this combination of developmental elements with conventional child care techniques “ developmental care
.” (Read about what it is and why it is needed)

Footballer's pose and other joys

There is also a face to face

, but it’s easier to watch it on video.

also
place the child The head touches the surface first, then everything else. The movement is smooth, without jolts or jerks. By turning the child, you help him develop his muscles with movement, so he will get stronger much faster. The turns themselves from back to stomach and back are included as an important exercise
in vestibular gymnastics for infants. How to do this - watch the video. In this excerpt from the video tutorial “Developmental Baby Care” you will see how to correctly pick up and hold a baby. Footballer's pose, knee-elbow, basic pose, on the shoulder, face to face - you can master all this by watching the video.

How to hold your baby correctly when feeding?

When feeding, the baby should be placed comfortably on the crook of your elbow .
This way, the baby's head and back will rest on one arm. The palm of the other hand will support the baby under the sacrum. If the mother prefers to feed the baby while lying down, you need to position the baby's head so that it is higher than the body. You can do this by placing the baby's head on your hand. Under no circumstances should the baby's head be allowed to tilt back.

Daddy can, daddy can

No matter how busy you are, try to find moments to spend time with your baby. Children grow very quickly and very soon such an initially important question as how to properly pick up a child
will lose its relevance and will be replaced by thousands of others.
Don't be afraid to spoil or cuddle your baby, after two years, in order to hug him, you will have to catch up with him first. For harmonious development, a child needs the attention and care of both parents. Father's strong and firm hands are so different from mother's gentle ones, but they also give the baby a feeling of security
and confidence that he is loved and needed in this world. Give your child the joy of communicating with you!

Well, finally you have passed all the tests of pregnancy and childbirth, now the smallest and most important member of the family has appeared at home. All the grandparents smile sweetly and babble something to the baby, but few decide to pick him up, simply not knowing how to hold a newborn. By the way, not all maternity hospitals tell mothers how to hold a newborn correctly, how to pick him up and how to lay him down.

How can you hold a newborn?

The most important rule: take the baby in a way that is comfortable, but to ensure that the baby doesn’t fall or hit himself, you need to have a good

• support the head, because the neck muscles are not yet completely strong and the baby cannot control them. Here are some basic tips and rules on how to hold a newborn:
• never lift or put down the baby with quick and sudden movements;
• You can’t hold a newborn with one hand, as this can damage the baby’s joints; moreover, in this position there is no proper fixation of the spine, not to mention safety;
• do not allow the head to tilt back, ensure proper fixation until the age of 3-4 months, until the muscles become stronger.

Modern babies, in keeping with the rhythm of life, do not want to lie down and prefer to be carried upright, especially from 3-4 months. Here are some ways to hold your newborn upright:

1. Vertically on the shoulder. This method is also called “holding the newborn upright.” The correct way to do this is this: the head is supported by the mother’s hand and placed on her shoulder, and the baby’s back and butt are supported with the other hand.
2. On the hip. Take the baby with your hand under your chest and sit it on your hip, while tilting the baby’s torso slightly forward. Holding a newborn in this way is quite acceptable, since there is no load on the spine, and all the weight falls on your hand.
3. Many children prefer to observe the objects around them. How to properly hold a newborn with his back to you: take the baby behind your chest with one hand, press him tightly with your back, and grab one thigh with the other. Make sure that the weight does not fall on the arm and hip, this is harmful to the baby’s spine. You can simply take the baby’s legs by the feet and pull them towards the tummy; this is also good for the pelvic joints.

How to hold a newborn after feeding?

There are many ways to properly hold a newborn baby in this case, both vertically and horizontally. Very often, mothers cannot choose the right position for breastfeeding and do not know how to hold their newborn while feeding. You can feed the baby both sitting and lying down, the main thing is that the baby grasps not only the nipple, but also the areola. After feeding, you need to take the baby in a column, this will release excess milk and swallowed air, this will prevent tummy pain in the baby. In the maternity hospital, do not hesitate to ask the medical staff in detail about the smallest details, because at home there will be no one to help, and grandmothers are sometimes simply afraid of hurting the baby.

How to hold a newborn when washing?

In the maternity hospital, the medical staff is obliged to show the mother not only how to feed and hold the newborn upright, but also how to properly wash the baby. If you want to wash your baby over the sink, place the baby on your left hand (for right-handers) and secure the shoulder joint between your index and middle fingers, bring your butt to the stream of water and wash from front to back, avoiding intestinal microflora from getting on the genitals. After the procedure, blot gently, but do not rub the skin under any circumstances.

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Read all about how to properly pick up, hold and carry a newborn baby in this article.

No matter how much doctors talk about the strength of a newborn baby’s body, young parents take the little person in their arms with trepidation and fear. Panic fear occurs not only among mothers and fathers of first-born children; sometimes even experienced grandmothers are afraid to touch the baby, so as not to harm the little person. How can you quickly master this new feature?

Newborn babies do look extremely fragile, but this does not mean that the child does not need parental warmth.

"Do not take! Once you get used to it, you won’t unlearn it,” the new grandmother instructs the young mother. Nowadays, the classic Soviet slogan “don’t teach it to your hands” is becoming a thing of the past. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine a newborn child who would agree to lie in a crib all day or play independently in a playpen. Recent studies prove that holding a baby in the arms of parents is beneficial because it helps:

• establish close contact with parents (“attachment theory”), calm the baby;
• develop mentally, learn about the world around us, look at things that are not visible from the crib;
• develop physically.

Why is it recommended to hold a newborn upright?

When a baby starts spitting up milk or formula, frightened mothers turn to the Internet for help. There you can find recommendations on how to hold a newborn after feeding, including in a “column” position.

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It is believed that during feeding, babies swallow excess air. Standing upright and patting your baby's back should help him release this air, which in turn reduces the frequency of colic and spit-up. The recommendation took place in the USSR, but even now some pediatricians continue to insist that after feeding the baby should be held upright.

How to hold a newborn

It is not difficult to lift a baby lying on his back from any horizontal surface:

1. gently place one hand under the child’s head;
2. the second - under the baby’s butt;
3. lift the child carefully and confidently.

If you need to lift the baby when he is lying on his stomach, support the chest with one hand, the stomach with the other, and carefully lift the baby. The second method is more difficult than the first, so in the case of a newborn child, you should first “practice” lifting from the “on your back” position.

How to put in a crib

It is also necessary to place the baby in a crib (or any other horizontal surface). Gently lower, holding the back of your head and butt. At the same time, an adult also needs to bend down, and not just lower his arms, this will protect the child from falling.

How to hold a newborn?

In fact, the baby's body is not as defenseless as it might seem at first glance. It is enough to remember what a difficult path a child goes through during childbirth. This body has already withstood enormous loads and remained unharmed. If Mother Nature has endowed the body of a newborn with such powers, loving parents are unlikely to be able to harm him.

Of course, there are areas in the body of newborns that require special protection during the first months of life. First of all, this concerns the large fontanelle . It is located on the top of the head and during the first month is considered the most unprotected part of the body. Due to the fact that this part of the head had not yet acquired a bone structure, the child was able to be born. After birth, it takes time for bone to form under the thin layer of skin.

Ordinary manipulations such as bathing and combing will not harm the fontanelle area. But when lifting a baby into your arms, you need to make sure that the child does not hit his head on something and get hurt.

The joints of a baby up to six months are very mobile, so you need to take care of their safety. You cannot lift a baby holding him by his hands alone. There are a few simple rules that young parents need to learn:

• Excessive caution and fear of harm may end up injuring your child. All actions must be accurate and confident.
• Avoid sudden movements; everything must be done carefully and with restraint.
• Both hands of an adult are involved in lifting the baby.
• Before lifting your child, you need to talk to him so that the lifting does not turn out to be a frightening surprise for the newborn.

How to properly hold a baby in your arms

There are several ways to hold your baby in your arms. The most common and correct positions are:

Parents' mistakes

In the absence of experience in caring for a child and ignorance of the basics of physiology, parents can make mistakes: incorrectly lift the child, pick him up, carry him. It is forbidden:

• lift the baby by the wrists and weak hands. All joints of newborn children are easily injured;
• lift the baby without holding his head. The neck muscles of a newborn baby are not well developed; he cannot yet hold his head up on his own. Therefore, at first you need to help by supporting the head;
• do not hold the baby’s arms and legs, as they will hang down;
• holding your newborn baby too tightly;
• Do not support the backrest when supporting it vertically, this can injure the child and overload the spine.

Washing, bathing

Daily water procedures are mandatory for every child. During bathing and washing, it is important to hold the child correctly:

1. The child’s head is placed on the elbow, the body is placed on the shoulder, with the same hand it is necessary to hold one of the child’s legs so that his perineum is open for washing;
2. When bathing your baby every day, you should hold his head. The baby's chin should be above the water in the bath.

Taking a baby in your arms and holding him is a simple science. In just a few “lessons” anyone can master it perfectly. The main condition for success is the absence of fear and self-confidence. Perhaps grandparents are shocked by some of the ways of holding a child, because until recently they only held the child in the so-called “cradle,” but this does not mean at all that other positions will cause harm. On the contrary, holding in different positions will have a positive effect on the mental and physical development of the baby. Experiment and after a while you will see the result.

How to properly hold a newborn baby

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After the birth of a long-awaited baby, a new mother always seems to blossom. But with the birth of a baby, many difficulties and tasks arise; one of the most common questions is related to how to properly hold a newborn. Mother's hands are a source of boundless love for the baby; they act as the main way of contact with the newborn.

All members of the family in which the baby is growing up should know how to properly carry a baby. After all, due to mistakes made by adults during support, unpleasant consequences may arise in the form of deformation of the spine and joints, falls and deterioration of general tone. Therefore, when holding a child in their arms, adults must follow several rules.

• It is worth understanding that the bones and joints of a baby are very plastic, and therefore they can be easily deformed. The younger the baby, the more vulnerable his body is.
• An obligatory point is to support the head, and this should continue until the child learns to hold it himself. This usually occurs at 3 months of age.
• Make sure that the weight is evenly distributed over the main support points, which are the back, pelvic area, and head.
• Holding a baby upright is very comfortable, but staying in this position for a long time is harmful for the baby himself, especially if he is only a few days old.
• It is strictly forbidden to lift by the handles, as this can lead to dislocation. If parents decide to conduct classes in a dynamic gymnastics complex, it is their responsibility.
• You should not hold the baby close to you, especially in the chest area. Support should be placed under the shoulder blades, not under the buttocks, so that the load is evenly distributed on the spine.

Carrying a baby is a good opportunity for full tactile contact.

We hold the baby in our arms. How to properly hold a newborn in your arms

Imagine yourself on the edge of a cliff, your feelings. You will start to feel dizzy - your vestibular apparatus cannot cope, there is no training. Train your baby with your bold movements and move them around in space.

For example: not a single monkey leaves its baby on the ground when it needs to climb up a vine. So you bend over, turn around, walk quickly with the baby in your arms. Constant contact between mother and baby is necessary from the first minutes of birth. When a mother carries a child in her arms and moves around the apartment with him, this gives the baby great benefit during a walk. The feeling of confidence and protection, the warmth of the mother warms, the familiar smell, and the sound of the heartbeat calms the baby. Constant contact stimulates lactation.

In this article, we will tell you how to hold a baby in your arms, what positions are most comfortable for the baby and mother, how to properly hold a newborn when bathing and washing, how to hold the baby after feeding and in a standing position.

1) Vertical position, with your back to yourself, holding it under your chest with one hand, and with the other, fixing your legs at the level of your knee joints. You can change the position of your torso by slightly tilting it forward or leaning it towards you. If you need to free one hand to do something, release your bottom hand.

2) You can leave the baby in front of you, or you can put it on its side. Hold it with one hand under your chest, holding it on your hip, lying on your tummy or upright. In a lying position, holding with one hand, the second hand remains free or can help by placing it towards you at waist level. Do not forget to change sides so as not to create the usual position of the baby’s torso muscles.

3) With your back to you, legs pulled up to your tummy, you comfortably carry the baby in your arms, you can always free one hand. This position is a good prevention of colic, the passage of gases, and the separation of the legs in the hip joints.

4) In the “Little Buddha” pose. With your back facing you, grab your chest with one hand. Bring both feet toward your stomach, placing them together in your hand. You can do the same with one hand, securing the second one, also move it to the side or put the baby on his stomach. In this position it is convenient and correct to wash the newborn, since all the folds are open.

5) In a tummy position on your shoulder. In this position, it is correct to hold the baby after feeding - it is comfortable and useful, the baby holds the head, the stomach is freed from air that he could swallow while eating. Place the baby with your chest on your shoulder, head back. And don’t forget to shift either to the right or to the left shoulder, do not create a familiar position. In this position it is comfortable for you, you can free one hand, and the baby receives one continuous benefit: the pose approaches vertical, and at the same time we strengthen the muscles of the upper back and neck.

We carry the baby correctly

Cradle position

This is the most comfortable way to carry a baby, especially at an early age. It is necessary to place the baby in the area of ​​the forearm of your hand, and with the help of the other you need to provide support for the legs. It turns out that the head is right on your elbow. It is important that the limbs are grouped and not flop around on their own. In this position, the baby is most protected and least vulnerable.

Column pose

The most optimal time to carry your baby in a column is after feeding. After all, it is in this position that there are no obstacles to regurgitation of excess air that has accumulated in the stomach during meals. In this position, it is important to provide support along the spine and be sure to support the head. The baby is held facing himself, and the chin is located on the shoulder of an adult. The baby's torso needs to be supported in the neck and lower back. It is important not to overdo it, because a vertical position is not useful for small children; you can hold a newborn upright for 5-10 minutes at most.

Stomach pose

This position is excellent for newborn babies, because wearing it on the stomach helps to generally strengthen muscle tone and helps in mastering the skill of holding the head. In addition, every baby, at a reflex level, stretches his arms forward, which provides an additional training process. You need to hold it like this: the forearm of an adult’s hand acts as a support for the baby’s chest, and the stomach is located in the palm of the other hand. At the same time, the legs gain the ability to move freely. This position will teach children to move from back to stomach during sleep.

Side Hand Pose

This position must be included in the list, because for a newborn baby it creates the effect of a cozy nest, similar to the mother’s belly. The advantage of this position is that the baby gets the opportunity to rest on his mother’s shoulder if he is unsure of holding his head. To take the position, you need to turn the baby face forward and support him in an upright position, having previously tilted him. The child is supported by the upper chest area, and the feet are clasped with the help of the other hand. As a result, it turns out that the baby’s hands lie on top of the forearm, and the legs are in a bent position and spread apart at the hips and knees.

Holding on the side of the hip

This position will be comfortable for a baby who has already learned to hold his head up and can sit and crawl on his own. The child takes a vertical position and uses his legs to grasp your hips. With one hand he holds on to the adult’s shoulder, and the other hand is free. The advantage of this position is the possibility of holding the baby with one hand, since the main emphasis of the body is on the parent’s hips. This position promotes excellent development of the baby’s hip joints, so it is recommended for use in your general list.

Among mothers, the question often arises about whether it is necessary to hold the baby in your arms in principle. Of course, it is necessary, because through tactile contact the child receives love and affection, learns to hold his head and perform other simple actions independently. But there are several prohibitions and restrictions.

• It is forbidden to lift the baby by the arms due to joint weakness;
• the head should not be neglected, it is important that it is always supported;
• make sure that the child’s limbs do not dangle or hang down;
• pay attention to the support of the back, use horizontal positions to advantage;
• Holding in your arms should be careful, it is forbidden to press the baby too tightly.

A competent approach to these actions will allow you to find a common language with your baby as quickly as possible.

Long before the baby is born, expectant mothers imagine how they will care for their child. However, when a newborn is brought into the ward and the mother is left alone with him, she is often afraid of harming the baby by carelessly picking him up. And although nurses usually show how to hold a newborn, concerns remain, since the baby looks fragile, weak and defenseless, and the young mother is still unsure of herself. Over time, the baby will get stronger, the fear of harming the baby will pass, and the process will be fine-tuned to the point of automaticity, but since the baby must be held often for full psycho-emotional development, it is advisable to shorten the adaptation period as much as possible.

Despite their apparent fragility, babies are quite durable creatures that have endured enormous stress during the birth process, and it is difficult to harm the child if handled with care. The only weak spot of a newborn is weak neck muscles, so in order to correctly pick up a child lying on a horizontal surface, you should:

• take the baby with both hands and do not make sudden movements;
• Use the palm of one hand to support the back of the head, and place the other palm under the child’s bottom.

It is important to ensure that the head of the toddler in your arms does not tip back.

To do this, the baby’s head should be located in the crook of the adult’s elbow if the baby is lying in his arms (the classic “cradle” position, convenient for a baby asleep), and rest on the parents’ shoulder if the baby is held upright.

In addition, you need to know not only how to hold a newborn correctly, but also how to put a sleeping baby in bed or on a changing table. You need to lower the baby in the same position in which he was lying in your arms. To do this, you need to not easily lower your hands, but also lean your whole body forward to avoid sudden movements and a “hard landing” of the child, then carefully put him down and smoothly remove your hands after a minute spent in this position.