How does skin-to-skin contact help calm a crying baby?

Skin-to-skin contact helps regulate your baby's body temperature and heart rate while providing comfort through your familiar scent and touch. This WHO-recommended technique reduces stress hormones in both baby and parent, promoting immediate calm and deeper sleep.

Can fathers do skin-to-skin contact with newborns?

Yes, fathers can absolutely practice skin-to-skin contact with their babies. Research shows that paternal skin-to-skin contact is equally effective for calming babies and significantly impacts long-term father-baby attachment and bonding.

How long should skin-to-skin contact sessions last?

Skin-to-skin sessions can last anywhere from 20 minutes to several hours, depending on your comfort level. Many parents find that one-hour sessions work well, allowing babies to reach deep sleep while giving parents time to rest.

When is the best time to start skin-to-skin contact with baby?

The best time to start is immediately after birth, but skin-to-skin contact benefits babies throughout their first months of life. It's particularly effective during fussy periods or when trying to establish healthy sleep routines.

Best Ways to Calm Your Baby: Healthy Pregnancy & Parenting Tips

The best way to calm your child

Skin-to-skin contact is one of the best ways to calm baby and in fact is the leading recommendation for infant care from WHO [1].

When baby cries, put their bare belly on your bare belly. You can put a blanket over the top of both of you.

Warmed by your body, baby spends less energy on independent thermoregulation, and as a result, they grow faster and gain more weight. In addition, babies often reach deep sleep on the parent's belly. In a global sense, this allows them to quickly establish circadian rhythms. Plus, you get a whole hour of rest [2].

If you put the baby on your partner's belly, then this whole hour is at your disposal! Take a shower, eat a meal in peace! Daddy's skin works just as well as mom's and studies show that in the long term skin-to-skin can impact the attachment between father and baby [3].