Got your baby around? Good. Now, get to cuddling!

Never put that baby down. According to research, there really is no limit to how long (or much) you can hold your baby. As a matter of fact, the more you are able to snuggle with your baby, the better it is for the both of you.

It is not possible to overstate the importance that touch has to the development of babies, and according to the latest research, it is even more important to hold your baby that previously thought… especially when you consider the development of your baby’s brain.

This research which was conducted by the Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio, was centered around both full-term and premature infants.

The aim the researcher was to see the way that babies responded to gentle touch, and they found that it is less likely for preemies to respond to touch than their full-term counterparts. Also, sadly, preemies that had already been exposed to some painful medical procedures also showed a less likelihood to respond to touch.

However, there is also some good news as well. The researchers found that these premature babies who had been made to experience more gentle touch from either NCIU staff or their parents showed a stronger response to that gentle touch than other babies who weren’t touched or held as much.

This increase in responsiveness only goes to prove that gentle touching (which included skin-to-skin contact and gentle rocking) can benefit the brain, according to lead researcher, Dr. Nathalie Maitra. It also reveals that if you aren’t already having the most touch time with your baby that you can, your time hast run out just yet. You can start now and still reap the benefits.

Previous studies on everything have actually shown some identical outcomes; the developing brain of a baby needs touch.
“It is essential for preterm babies to receive positive and supportive touch such as skin-to-sin care as it helps their brains respond to gentle touch in ways that are similar to those babies that experienced their entire pregnancy in their mother’s womb,” said Maitre in an interview with Science Daily.

She also pressed on the need for hospitals to get involved in ensuring that infants are able to get this very important form of contact, as it has been found to produce some lifelong advantages.

“In the event that parents are unable to do this, hospitals should involve themselves in ensuring that infants are able to get this contact. They can consider physical and occupational therapists that will provide a carefully planned touching experience, which some hospital settings actually miss”.

The promotion of sin-to-skin contact between parents and newborns has become common in a lot of hospitals all over the country, of course, excluding the unfortunate cases where these premature babies are too delicate to actually be held or touched.

Also, this prescription of skin-to-skin contact is not form moms alone. Fathers can get in on the action as well and in some cases, it is acceptable for some close relatives to get in as well.

In a sweet moment that went viral last year, an elder brother even took part in the skin-to-skin contact that was aimed at his newborn twin siblings. Another hospital in Atlanta even has an “ICU Grandpa” who helps to cuddle babies at times when parents or hospital staff are unable to.