How to Hold a Baby - 6 Safe & Secure Newborn Holds For New Parents

If you have never held a baby, it can be a little scary.  You might be worried about dropping the baby or holding it wrong.  So in this video we are going to show you 6 ways to hold a baby safely and securely.

OK, first thing first, in preparation of holding a baby, there are 3 things to remember:

 1) Clean Hands – Wash your hands and make sure your hands are clean before holding or touching the baby.  Newborns immune systems are still being developed so you just don’t want to pass along germs to them.

2) Relax – Take a few deep breaths if you need to, relax your shoulders, and relax your body before you hold the baby.   Babies sense our energy so being relaxed helps them as well.

3) Secure hold – While you are relaxed, you are going to want to hold the baby securely, especially the head.  We’ll talk about this as we go. I can tell you that when my son was born, I had really only held a baby once or twice before that.  I was nervous but quickly found those nerves went away when I had my son in my arms and you simply feel amazing.  I am going to show you 6 different ways you can hold your baby.  With each hold, I’ll begin with the baby in the start position (holding out in front of me)

1) Cradle Hold – This is probably the most common way to hold a baby  You are using both arms.  This hold feels really secure.  It’s also a really good hold for when you are sitting down. The baby’s head is tucked in and secure within your arm and your arm is holding the baby’s bottom.  The opposite arm is also there for support.  This is a good hold for having the baby really close to you.

2) Football hold – Like a football tucked into your arm, the baby is secure.  It’s similar to the cradle yet the baby may be tucked in a little further and you then have one arm free to do other things.  You can even do the Heisman pose if you want to.

3) Reverse Football Hold – I really like this hold because you can see the baby’s face.  Like the regular football hold, it feels secure yet still allows you to have one hand free.

4) Belly Hold – Similar to the football hold but the baby is on their stomach instead of their back.  You’ll want to turn their head to the side a bit just so they can breathe easily 

5) Reverse Belly Hold – Again like the reverse football but the baby is on their stomach. You will want to try the various holds and see what your baby prefers.  Both of my kids liked being on their belly while in my arms but not every baby likes it.  

6) Shoulder hold – When you do a shoulder hold, you want the baby to be fairly high on your shoulder.  The baby’s head rests on top of your shoulder.  You may need to put your other hand on the back of the baby’s head just to keep it stable. Like the cradle hold, this works well when you are sitting down. Learning how to hold a baby does take some practice but you will become an expert pretty quickly.  You will just need to see which holds work best for you and the child.  Everyone is different.

I’d love to hear from you.  Try a few of these holds and let me know which one you like the best?  Leave your feedback below.

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