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.
Parents usually start kangaroo care once or twice a day for at least one hour each time or as long as it is tolerated by your baby. 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.
Paediatricians have warned mothers against sitting their babies when they are unable to control their head and neck, cautioning that babies that are not mature enough to sit could have spinal cord injury and come down with brain damage when they are forced to sit.
As soon as your baby can hold their head up (around 3 to 4 months), it's safe to sit your baby up with assistance (like in your lap). However, many parents choose to allow their baby to reach that milestone on their own, when they are ready.
Don't lift your newborn by or under their arms
Your baby's head and neck muscles are very weak for the first few months. If you pick them up by or under their arms, you risk injuring their arms or shoulders. Worse, their head will dangle and could flop around, potentially causing a brain injury.
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.
There is no official time limit for carrying your baby in a carrier, however, there are safety and developmental risks that need to be considered when using a carrier for prolonged periods. Such risks include suffocation, positional asphyxiation, overheating, hip dysplasia and container syndrome.
While most parents won't need to consider wearing their babies in direct skin contact, or 24/7, this should offer some reassurance that wearing a baby can be safe and beneficial, even during a long daytime nap.
18 Months to 4 Years
At this age, when children begin to walk on their own, parents often assume that it's time to put the sling away. But there are actually no developmental reasons to stop carrying.
Well, the truth is, your baby just doesn't want to be put down and that's normal. Your baby knows you, loves you, and wants to be with you. He or she knows your sounds: coughing, sneezing, or digestion. He or she knows your movement: walking, laying down, sitting down, or dancing.
The Period of PURPLE Crying® is the phrase used to describe the time in a baby's life when they cry more than any other time.
Kangaroo care is a method of holding a baby that involves skin-to-skin contact. The baby, who is typically naked except for a diaper, is placed in an upright position against a parent's bare chest. Both mothers and fathers can do kangaroo care.
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.
Container baby syndrome is a collection of movement, behavior, and other problems caused by a baby or infant spending too much time in a container—any commonly-used piece of baby equipment that resembles a container, including: Car seats. Strollers. Bumbo seats. Bouncy swings.
As long as you both want. If baby is in a carrier that supports healthy positioning, you can continue to wear her for as long during the day as you are both comfortable, and up until baby hits the weight limit (which is often around 40 lb!).
You can start using a baby carrier from day one.
Some parents think they can't use a baby carrier until their baby is 6 weeks old or older, or they choose to wait until then. But you can take a baby carrier with you to the hospital and use it the day your baby is born, as long as they weigh at least seven (7) pounds.
No, absolutely not. You cannot cuddle your baby too much. But new parents ask me that all the time because they think that too much cuddles could spoil their baby. Science tells us that cuddles strengthen that bond between parent and baby.
Take regular breaks
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.
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.
Soon after a baby is born, it's getting more common these days for the father or non-birthing parent to be encouraged to put the newborn directly on their chest. This skin-to-skin contact is often termed “kangaroo care”, as it mimics the way kangaroos provide warmth and security to babies.
Don't pick up a baby under their arms.
It makes a baby's arms unavailable for self-comfort or support, and it can interfere with their breathing because their ribs are held. It also encourages moving a baby through space in an upright (rather than horizontal) position.