BABY
Why Holding Your Baby Skin-to-Skin Is So Powerful
From regulating body temperature to promoting bonding, the benefits of skin-to-skin are profound!
Written by
Happiest Baby Staff
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BABY
Written by
Happiest Baby Staff
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When your newborn is first placed on your bare chest, something extraordinary happens: Their breathing slows, their body relaxes, and their tiny heart beats in sync with yours. This simple yet powerful practice—known as skin-to-skin contact—is more than just a sweet cuddle. It’s a scientifically proven way to support your baby’s health, development, and emotional wellbeing…and it benefits parents, too.
From regulating body temperature to promoting bonding, the benefits of skin-to-skin are profound and lasting. Here’s what every new parent should know.
Skin-to-skin contact is when a newborn is placed—naked except for a nappy—directly on a parent’s bare chest. Both of you are then covered with a warm blanket. Ideally, this begins immediately after birth and continues frequently in the first days and weeks of life.
During this time, your baby hears your heartbeat, smells your scent, and feels the rhythm of your breathing. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), this close contact stabilise your baby’s physiology and helps parents feel more confident and connected to their newborn.
The terms skin-to-skin care and kangaroo care are often used interchangeably, but there’s a subtle distinction.
Decades of research show kangaroo care improves survival rates for preterm infants, supports breastfeeding, and enhances parent-infant bonding.
Skin-to-skin care starts working within minutes. Research has consistently shown that holding your newborn skin-to-skin:
The impact of skin-to-skin goes beyond those first tender moments. Studies suggest that consistent skin-to-skin in the newborn period is linked to:
The beauty of skin-to-skin is that it’s simple, safe, and accessible to almost every parent and baby. Here’s how:
Skin-to-skin contact is one of the most effective and natural ways to nurture your baby from the very start. It calms, warms, and stabilise your little one, while giving you a profound sense of connection and confidence as a parent. Whether your baby is born early or right on time, skin-to-skin is a simple, science-backed practice with lifelong benefits.
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Disclaimer: The information on our site is NOT medical advice for any specific person or condition. It is only meant as general information. If you have any medical questions and concerns about your child or yourself, please contact your health provider. Breastmilk is the best source of nutrition for babies. It is important that, in preparation for and during breastfeeding, mothers eat a healthy, balanced diet. Combined breast- and bottle-feeding in the first weeks of life may reduce the supply of a mother's breastmilk and reversing the decision not to breastfeed is difficult. If you do decide to use infant formula, you should follow instructions carefully.
