Babies are known for their fragility and sensitivity to their surroundings. As a result, parents and caregivers have to be careful with everything they do around newborns. However, when it comes to holding babies, science has shown that parents don’t have to worry about holding them too much.
The Importance of Touch in a Baby’s Development
From the moment they’re born, babies depend on touch for their survival. Touch is crucial to a baby’s development and actually has some pretty major benefits when it comes to brain development as well. In fact, the original studies on mammal development demonstrated that primate babies would prefer physical closeness over trying to find food—for babies, touch is literally life-saving.
Research Continues to Prove the Importance of Touch in Human Development
Ongoing research only continues to prove the importance of touch in human development. A 2020 study found infant-caregiver physical closeness activates oxytocin as well as certain nerve fiber pathways. Other similar studies on the closeness between caregiver and infant have found that touch helps develop communication, and enhances the caregiver’s ability to respond to their baby, bonding, secure attachments, and neurodevelopment.
What Science Says About Holding Your Baby
In a 2017 study, researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio observed 125 premature and full-term infants to see how they responded to gentle touch, like the kind they would get cuddling with a parent vs. how they responded to touch from things that are not-so-gentle, like having a medical procedure done or getting an IV put in. The study revealed that infants who were touched gently, in the “good” way, showed more brain response than the infants who received touch stimuli in “bad” ways.
In other words, the type of touch matters to babies, and more importantly, infants who receive plenty of cuddling and loving touches will have brains that develop more effectively than babies who do not. This is particularly important for premature babies, who respond more strongly to gentle touch from their parents and/or NICU caregivers than premature babies who aren’t touched or held as often.
What This Means for Parents
Stay physically close to your babies, especially premature babies and newborns, as often as possible. Wear them, cuddle with them, or do skin-to-skin with them. Because, as the studies have shown, touch matters. Parents can do this by practicing “kangaroo care,” which involves holding the baby against their bare chest for extended periods, to mimic the warmth and security of the womb. This practice is particularly useful for premature babies as it helps regulate their breathing and heart rate.
The Benefits of Positive Touch for Preterm Infants
According to the lead researcher in the 2017 study, Dr. Nathalie Maitre, positive, supportive touch can help brain development. Preterm babies who had an increased amount of gentle touch from their parents and/or NICU caregivers actually responded more strongly to gentle touch than the premature babies who weren’t touched or held as often.
“Making sure that preterm babies receive positive, supportive touch such as skin-to-skin care by parents is essential to help their brains respond to gentle touch in ways similar to those of babies who experienced an entire pregnancy inside their mother’s womb,” she explained. “When parents cannot do this, hospitals may want to consider occupational and physical therapists to provide a carefully planned touch experience, sometimes missing from a hospital setting.”
In conclusion, the science is clear: hold your baby as much as you want. Cuddle them, wear them, do skin-to-skin with them. Your touch matters, and it’s essential for their development.
