Handle With Care: How Fragile Are Babies Really?

Don’t worry if you’re afraid that the slightest movement will break your baby—it’s normal to be overly cautious when you’re a new mom. When a baby is so teeny-tiny it’s common to want to be super careful when picking them up and dressing them and just handling them in general, but how fragile are babies really? Not as fragile as you think.

Handling Baby

Yes, there are definitely precautions you want to take when handling a baby especially a newborn and it’s always better to be safe than sorry,  but you also don’t need to be on edge every time you have to handle your baby. For instance, when it comes to dressing a baby you don’t have to be afraid to move their arms and legs around in order to get them into their sleepers. Babies are actually quite flexible and as long as you’re not being rough and tugging on their limbs they’ll be fine.  And when picking them up and putting them down you do need to support the head and neck, but don’t be afraid or anxious about holding your baby.

What You Really Need To Be Careful Of

There are a few specifics that you do need to be aware of though when it comes to handling your baby with the most important one being some awareness of something called Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS). Shaking a baby can cause serious injury and trauma that may result in brain damage or death. You may think that you would never shake your baby but constant crying has proven a common trigger for many parents who shake their baby without realizing the consequences of doing it even for just a few seconds. Bottom line is that you do not ever shake a baby for any reason because you can do serious harm.

This next point should go without saying but we’ll point it out anyway. You want to be careful to protect your baby from drops and falls. Babies will fall down and bump their heads and scrape their knees once they start crawling and walking, but you still want to do your best to protect them from unnecessary falls especially when they’re newborns. Using caution when placing them on sofas, beds and other surfaces and while holding them is all it takes. You also want to be sure to never let a child hold a baby unattended. And always use caution when handling your baby during bath time and that includes making sure that you place their wash tub on a sturdy surface so it won't slide or tip.

Aside from that, your baby is more resilient than you realize in spite of their delicate appearance. Using common sense and care is all you need when it comes to handling your baby.