Your new baby

Holding your baby

• Holding your baby
• Swaddling your baby
• The first week with a new baby
• What your baby can do
• Why is my baby crying?
• Back to Introduction

Holding your new baby firmly and securely will reassure them. They particularly need to have their head firmly supported. When you pick your baby up, do it slowly and gently and try and keep your movements smooth and confident. A good position for soothing or carrying your baby when they're sleepy is by holding them on your shoulder, with their body upright and their head resting on your shoulder. Support their upper back with one hand and their bottom with the other.

When you want to talk to your baby, or rock them, cradle him or her in your arms. Hold them with their head resting just above the crook of your arm and your lower arm supporting their body. Your other hand can go under their bottom. Hold your baby so their head is slightly higher than their bottom