Handling and holding your older baby
Picking up your older baby
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Once your baby has control of her head there is no need to take the kind of care you did when she was newborn because the head and body will now stay aligned when she's picked up. When she reaches this stage the best way to pick up your baby is to put your hands under her armpits and to lift her towards you. Once she's been picked up carry her in the crook of your arm or against your shoulder. Or, as her back, neck and head muscles become stronger, she can be carried astride your hip with your arm going across her back and holding her thigh.
Carrying your older baby
By the age of four or five months, most parents carry their baby on one of their hips; which one is determined by whether the parent is right-or left-handed. You'll inevitably develop your own methods of carrying your baby and these may well vary according to her mood. For longer journeys you can still carry your baby in a front sling (though she may be getting heavy now) or in a back-pack.
Putting down your older baby
You don't have to be as careful putting down an older baby as a newborn one. She is now stronger and can control her head so can be put down in exactly the same way as she is picked up. Alternatively, you can support the upper part of your baby's body with one hand curved diagonally across her back with the other hand supporting her bottom.
If you are lifting your child to put her into a highchair, support her under the armpits and let both legs dangle so that she can place them easily between tray and seat. Don't forget to strap her in.
New Babycare
Copyright © 2009 Dorling Kindersley
Text copyright © 2009 Miriam Stoppard
Posted 30.06.2010
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