This is a parenting blog by Representative Sugii.
I am a father of one child, and my shoulders and collarbone muscles are screaming from carrying my baby, whose weight has doubled by around 3-4 months old.
Before my child was born, a friend told me that "the amount you hold your baby until they are three years old determines their level of dependence on desires when they become an adult."
I certainly didn't want my child to be addicted to alcohol or anything similar, but in reality, our house is made of wood and not suitable for letting them cry loudly, and for the first two months, I couldn't help but feel sorry for them, so I held them quite a bit.
But when I think about "how many hours a day do I hold them?" it's only about 2 hours at most.
By the way, my wife seems to be starting to feel that the baby, who is around 5-6 kg at 3 months old, is "heavy."
I'd like to write about what I've felt regarding holding a baby.
※The information provided here is just one example, so I hope you'll use it as a reference.
■Overview
・Baby starts complaining about how they're being held from around 2 months old
・How to think when the baby doesn't stop crying even when held
・Solutions for when you're tired of holding the baby
■Content
・Baby starts complaining about how they're being held from around 2 months old
→When the baby's neck isn't stable yet, you can only hold them horizontally. However, as they get a little older, their neck gradually starts to stabilize. Then you can hold them vertically.
During this period, if you switch from a horizontal hold to a vertical hold, as if they're saying, "It's not a horizontal hold now!", they often stop crying.
For wives, some seem to find it difficult to use various ways of holding the baby as they start to feel heavy and the baby grows in size.
In such cases, it might be a good idea for the husband to take the initiative and actively communicate with their child by holding them.
・How to think when the baby doesn't stop crying even when held
→It might not be that they dislike being held, but rather the posture.
①Horizontal hold → cries (for us, they stop crying with this when sleepy)
②Vertical hold facing outward → stops crying / cries (I don't know why they stop crying with this lol)
③Vertical hold facing inward → stops crying / cries (wants to feel secure, wants to suck their finger)
④If sitting and doing the above doesn't stop the crying, repeat ① to ③ while standing and holding them.
Having several variations like these often helps them stop crying.
Once the position is set, maintaining a certain rhythm can sometimes calm them down and make them fall asleep.
・Solutions for when you're tired of holding the baby
1. Sit in an armchair so you can rest your elbows.
2. Put a cushion under your elbows so you can rest them.
3. Place the baby on your thighs in a vertical hold.
These are some of the methods.
Just doing this makes it much easier, so please try it.
Since their height and weight change, let's explore comfortable ways to hold them as they grow.
If they're still crying even after trying various holds, it's highly likely they're hungry, want to be put down, or need a diaper change.
Recently, I've noticed a significant change: when my baby wouldn't stop crying while being held where they couldn't see my face, they stopped crying when I switched to a hold where they could see my face.
I deeply realized that there are times when they cry because they're lonely and can't see their parent's face.
〜〜〜Related Keywords〜〜〜
newborn, baby, infant, holding, baby carrier, how to hold, easy holding, childcare, parenting, putting to sleep, baby not sleeping, crying loudly, baby crying,