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The benefits of Cuddles

Cuddles for babies on the neonatal unit have plenty of benefits.

For babies on the neonatal unit,  having a cuddle or skin to skin with their parents has been shown to have multiple benefits for the baby.

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Evidence has show that a cuddle can stabilise a baby's heart rate, respiratory rate and temperature. 

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Cuddles also improve sleep, aid growth and development - including brain development and they can reduce pain. Cuddles can also help to improve breastfeeding. 

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Cuddles also have plenty of benefits for parents too. Parent-infant cuddles help parents to bond with their baby when they are sick in the NICU. They also reduce parents cortisol levels and increase mothers oxytocin thereby reducing stress. 

Baby's on CPAP respiratory support can have skin to skin

With safe transfer and positioning babies who are intubated can have parent-infant skin to skin.

Hand Hugs

Hand hugs are where a parent gently places their hands over their baby's head and then either cups baby's feet or places their hands lightly over baby's torso with arms and legs in a flexed position. It is a static hold rather than stroking, which can cause sensory over-load for the baby. 

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Hand hugs are great if your baby is unable to come out for skin to skin or kangaroo care. Hand hugs also provide great comfort and a positive, nurturing touch when babies are needing to have invasive procedures such as a heel prick or a cannula inserted. 

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Here are some of the benefits of a hand hug:

  1.  They support flexion (keeping the baby in a tucked position.)

  2. They activate the parasympathetic nervous system (which helps baby to digest milk)

  3. They give proprioceptive input

  4. They provide positive, deep tactile input (touch input).

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Click on the 'Hand hugs handout' to read all about the amazing benefits of hand hugs and how best to give them.

You can watch the video on the benefits of parent-infant cuddles again here...

In affiliation with the South West Cuddle Bundle and the South West Neonatal Network
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