How to Pick Up a Baby | Infant Care

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We are going to talk about how to hold an infant. So the most important thing when going to hold a child is to, make sure you’re steady, you’re in a nice place, where you’re not, you know, unstable and unstable footing and the most important thing to always remember is make sure that the head and the neck are always supported. So, when approaching a baby, you always want to reach behind and have your hand on the back of the baby’s head and neck area, really with the top of the fingers at the top of their head and your wrist almost under their back, and you would pick up the baby just like this. You can put them in any hold that you prefer. Some parents like to cradle them this way, there are some parents who hold babies this way, some parents that hold the baby like this. As long as the neck and the chin and the head are supported, that is the safest way to pick up and hold a child at all times. You would never go and hold them and lift them up by their waist, or even their shoulders. You always have to have your hand underneath the back of their head and, if able, the other hand underneath their bottom and legs. And then you can move the baby in the safest way, even if they’re squirming and you have a much tighter, two-hand on them when you’re picking them up. So, pick them up always supporting the head, make sure you’re on stable footing and always be as gentle as possible.