Lifting your baby

Slide one hand under your baby’s neck and the other under her back and bottom to support her lower half securely. Pick her up gently and smoothly and transfer her to a carrying position.

When you pick your baby up and put her down, do it in a way that supports her head; until she is about four weeks old she’ll have little control over it. If her head flops back, she will think that she is going to fall, her body will jerk, and she’ll stretch out both arms and legs in the Moro, or startle, reflex.

Put your baby down and pick her up with your whole arm supporting her spine, neck, and head. You may want to try swaddling your baby: wrap her firmly in a shawl or blanket so that her head is supported and her arms held close against her body. Once she lies down in the crib, you can gently unwrap her. Swaddling your baby tightly makes her feel secure, so it’s a useful way of comforting and claming a distressed baby.