You can't spoil a baby. Contrary to popular myth, it's impossible for parents to hold or respond to a baby too much, child development experts say. Infants need constant attention to give them the foundation to grow emotionally, physically and intellectually.
This bond also makes your child feel safe in your arms, which is key to your little one's mental development. After realizing that, I'm sure you're still wondering, “Can you hold a newborn too much?” The direct answer is no, but it's still important to allow your baby to use their muscles on their own.
The longer you hold your baby, the better. Any amount of time is good, but it is best to try for at least 1 to 2 hours each day.
You may have heard that you risk 'spoiling' your baby by cuddling them too much. However, as health visitor Sarah Heaney explains in the video below, this is a myth - cuddling is great for babies' development and bond with you. Can I cuddle my baby too much? No, absolutely not.
The Bottom Line
As long as your baby's essential needs are being met and you actively engage them in a loving way, how much or how little you hold them is entirely up to you. If you want to hold them, do. If you want to put them down, even if they cry, that's fine as well.
A 2017 study confirms what many parents already instinctively know: You should pick up babies every time they cry. The research from the University of Notre Dame found that it was impossible to spoil an infant by holding or cuddling him, according to an article at News.co.au.
Take regular breaks
It is important for you and your baby to get out of the car every few hours and take a stretch to avoid restlessness. Try to take a break every 2 to 3 hours for a day trip and every 4 to 6 hours at night to change diapers or soiled clothes, or to feed your baby.
It is best to hold the baby on demand up to the age of 12 months old. Babies up to this age are still developing emotionally and may require parent's attention often. However, you may also try identifying the possible need of the baby.
And with the bedtime fading technique, you put your baby to bed a little later each night, shifting bedtime back by 10 to 15 minutes, until your little one is tired enough to fall asleep on their own, even with a bit of crying. Once you hit that sweet spot, you label it as your baby's official bedtime!
SIDS is less common after 8 months of age, but parents and caregivers should continue to follow safe sleep practices to reduce the risk of SIDS and other sleep-related causes of infant death until baby's first birthday. More than 90% of all SIDS deaths occur before 6 months of age.
Separation. Babies love to be held, touched and reassured that you're there, so settling in a cot on their own can often be difficult for them. Your baby's missing your touch and attention, and they're letting you know about it . From their very first hours of life, babies will cry when separated from their mothers.
Overstimulation happens when children are swamped by more experiences, sensations, noise and activity than they can cope with. For example, a newborn baby might get very unsettled after a party where they've been cuddled by a lot of grown-ups.
They're uncomfortable. In the early weeks it can be hard for a new parent to assess if there is an underlying root cause as to why your baby refuses to be put down. I've found babies who are uncomfortable seek the comfort of being held and sleeping on someone.
Many will let pregnant women go up to two weeks over. After 42 weeks, however, the baby's health might be at risk. A very small number of babies die unexpectedly if they are still in the womb beyond 42 weeks of pregnancy. It is unclear why the risks of a death of the baby rise as the weeks go by.
Many car seat manufacturers recommend that a baby should not be in a car seat for longer than 2 hours, within a 24 hour time period. This is because when a baby is in a semi-upright position for a prolonged period of time it can result in: 1. A strain on the baby's still-developing spine.
During active sleep, the newborn may move, groan, open their eyes, cry out or breathe noisily or irregularly. During quiet sleep, they will lie relatively still and their breathing will be more even. It is a part of normal sleep cycles for newborns to wake between sleep cycles.
It's OK to let your baby cry if the baby doesn't seem sick and you've tried everything to soothe your baby. You can try to leave your baby alone in a safe place, such as a crib, for about 10 to 15 minutes. Many babies need to cry before they can fall asleep. And they'll nod off faster if you leave them to cry.
Babies have the right to be protected from injury and infection, to breathe normally, to be warm and to be fed. All newborns should have access to essential newborn care, which is the critical care for all babies in the first days after birth.
Human babies are in utero for nine months and once they are out in the world, they enter the fourth trimester. During this time, babies need to be held and they will often cry as soon as they are put down. This can be stressful for the parents but it's perfectly normal. The idea that babies can self-soothe is a myth.
Most newborns have pretty strong preferences to be held or next to you almost constantly, and it's actually for a pretty good reason. Your baby is doing their best to communicate with you that they need to be close to you for their safety and development. Let's break it down from your baby's perspective.
Colic is the main cause of recurrent crying during the early months. All babies have some normal fussy crying every day. When this occurs over 3 hours per day, it's called colic.
Many children who have not had ample physical and emotional attention are at higher risk for behavioral, emotional and social problems as they grow up. These trends point to the lasting effects of early infancy environments and the changes that the brain undergoes during that period.
Research shows that by holding a baby, their brains begins to gather information about touch and how to respond to it. They also develop cognitive skills, such as recognizing their parents by touch, and develop a well-balance life because they are not developing stress hormones from being in a new environment.