This is something that so many new parents go through as they discover that their baby’s favourite place to sleep isn’t the beautiful bassinet they have lovingly purchased and prepared for them…it is snuggled up on their parent’s chest.

They wonder “Is my baby broken?!? How come they don’t want to sleep independently?!”

Or worse yet, a well-meaning loved one might drop the classic “You’ll spoil that baby if you let them sleep on you all the time.”

Let’s break this down for you: It’s NORMAL.

Newborn babies cannot and do not form habits. You are not spoiling them. You are not creating a rod for your own back.

Your precious little one has just spent nine months snugly cocooned in your womb-soothed by the sound of your heartbeat and your voice. In-utero, there is no cold, no hunger and no thirst. They are safe and secure with no knowledge of the big, crazy world on the outside.

Being snuggled up on your chest provides the ultimate womb-to-world transition for your baby. On your chest, they are warm, they can hear your breathing and heartbeat, they are nourished (by bottle or breast) and they feel safe and secure.

This isn’t forever, and in time your baby will learn to sleep independently but during the fourth trimester, it is biologically normal for your baby to want to be held. New parents can be encouraged to aim for just one bassinet nap a day to start with and to build from there. It doesn’t have to be perfect, some attempts completely fail-but in time, but things will get better and more manageable.

If it makes things easier, for now, a baby carrier or wrap can be a good investment-these allow babies to get all the comforts of a cuddle, while you can get up off the couch and do whatever it is that you need to do.

Image source: Google