Handling a newborn baby requires a lot of care and expertise. At times, even experienced mothers face problems while handling a newborn child, due to fear of dropping or any other unintentional injuries. Hence, to keep your baby safe and sound, most parents recruit help from family, friends or hire nurses for small-time baby help. 

Your doctor can be the best source of information to help you out with how to handle your baby. In the initial days, your baby is more prone to infections. Hence there may arrive times wherein you as a caretaker of your child, have to restrict some visitors for the safety of the baby. Today, Dr. Shilpa - Pediatrician at Sparsh Eye and Child Care Hospital, Vashi, lays down some basic tips for all parents, so that they can handle their newborn babies without being afraid. 

Very young babies are very much susceptible to various kinds of infections, because their immune system has not fully grown up – says Dr. Shilpa. Hence, before going close or holding baby, make sure you wash your hands with a good hand wash or sanitizer.   

Your newborn baby has a very weak and fragile backbone, because in simple terms the spinal cord isn’t fully grown. Therefore, be careful while carrying your baby’s head and neck. Always cradle the head of the baby while carrying the baby and support the head when carrying the baby upright or laying the baby on the mattress – says Dr. Shilpa. 

When you want your baby to wake up, never shake the baby. Shaking a newborn baby while play or for any other reason can cause internal bleeding in the head and ultimately lead to fatality. 

Make sure you keep your baby safely and securely in the carrier or the car seat. Wherever the baby is placed, just confirm that the baby does not receive a bumpy experience. A bumpy ride will cause injuries. 

Don’t play with your baby like you are juggling a ball in the air. As said above, too much rough handling can cause fatality. Hence, make sure to not play roughly with your child unless your baby is fully developed, in order to avoid causalities and internal injuries – adds Dr. Shilpa.

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