Kangaroo Care: The Essential Skin-to-Skin Bonding For Newborns

There’s something primal about the way a newborn settles when you place them on a parent’s chest – their heartbeat becomes steady, you feel their warmth against your skin, and there’s a quiet calm in the air. For the baby, it feels safe. For the parent, it feels right. And that simple, natural moment is at the core of what’s known as kangaroo care. It was originally practised as a lifesaving method for premature babies, mimicking what kangaroos do to nurture their delicate-born young ones. Today, kangaroo care is recognized as one of the most powerful ways to support a newborn’s health, regardless of when or how they’re born. In this article, we’ll explore what kangaroo care is, why it works so well, and how you can make it part of your baby’s early days. Read ahead to learn it all.

In This Article

What Is Kangaroo Care?
Benefits Of Kangaroo Care And Skin-to-Skin Contact
How Do Parents Benefit From Kangaroo Care?
How To Practice Kangaroo Care
In Conclusion
Frequently Asked Questions
References

What Is Kangaroo Care?

Kangaroo care is the simple, skin-to-skin practice of holding your baby upright against your bare chest, with a light blanket covering both of you for warmth. Your baby is usually in just a diaper and cap, their tiny body tucked close so they can hear your heartbeat, feel your warmth, and settle into your rhythm. This closeness is more than symbolic. It supports your baby’s ability to regulate temperature, heart rate, and breathing, especially in those early days when everything feels new and unfamiliar. It’s a gentle, intuitive way to bond, comfort, and care for your baby using something as natural as your own touch.

In the next section, we’ll get into more details on the benefits of this way of holding your baby. Read on.

Benefits Of Kangaroo Care And Skin-to-Skin Contact

In the hours and even days after birth, a newborn’s body is still adjusting to life outside the womb. Their ability to regulate temperature, basic reflexes, and even breathing is still developing. This is where kangaroo care can make a meaningful difference. By holding your baby against your skin and on your chest, you’re not just offering comfort; you are helping them find balance in a new environment.

Kangaroo care has been widely studied and recommended by pediatric and neonatal experts for its ability to support both physical stability and emotional bonding. Let’s get into the details of the benefits of Kangaroo hold:

• Regulates Body Temperature

Newborn babies are prone to quick heat loss through their heads and extremities. Skin-to-skin contact helps maintain a stable core temperature, much like an incubator, but better, according to some experts (1).

• Supports Steady Breathing And Heart Rate

Kangaroo hold facilitates regular breathing patterns and heart rates in babies. This is especially important for premature babies, whose systems may still be maturing (2).

• Improves Sleep And Promotes Relaxation

Skin-to-skin touch helps reduce the stress hormone cortisol in newborns (3). The close contact calms their nervous system (4). Babies often sleep longer and more soundly when held against your skin.

• Boosts Digestion And Weight Gain

The warmth of kangaroo care reduces energy expenditure and improves digestion. The calmness of the hold also helps the baby feed consistently, contributing to healthy weight gain in the first few weeks(5).

• Strengthens Immunity

Skin-to-skin care helps lower the risk of infections, especially in babies with low birth weight or those in neonatal care. It’s also linked to better immune function (6).

• Encourages Better Breastfeeding

Kangaroo hold brings the baby close to the breast, which encourages rooting and latching (7). This not only supports nutrition but also helps establish a strong breastfeeding routine early on.

The advantages of skin-to-skin baby care are manifold, and they are not limited to the infant. Even parents can benefit from it. Learn more in the section below.

How Do Parents Benefit From Kangaroo Care?

Kangaroo mother care is a powerful grounding activity for new parents. The overwhelming feelings subsides steadily when your baby’s head rests on your chest – you go from feeling ‘at a loss’ to ‘just right’ in less than a minute! Let’s discover how skin-to-skin bonding can benefit the parent as well:

– Kangaroo care provides a sense of reassurance. It offers a simple, instinctive way to respond to the baby’s needs, even when everything else feels new or uncertain.

– Skin-to-skin contact triggers the release of oxytocin, the love hormone, which helps parents feel more connected, calm, and emotionally attuned to their baby. – Regular kangaroo care sessions have been shown to lower stress levels and reduce symptoms of baby blues.

– Kangaroo care gives dads, partners, and adoptive parents a meaningful role in early bonding. It helps them feel more included and strengthens the parent-child connection right from the start.

The desire to hold your baby skin-to-skin isn’t just instinctive for you as a parent; it feels naturally safe and comforting for your baby too. And it’s not just for moms. Dads, partners, grandparents, adoptive parents, and even surrogates can all practice kangaroo care. That’s why it’s so important to get it right. And honestly, most parents do it right instinctively. Still, it helps to be sure. Check out how to hold your baby right in the Kangaroo pose in the next section.

How To Practice Kangaroo Care

Kangaroo care isn’t something you master – it’s something you ease into. It doesn’t need any fancy setup – just you, your baby, and a quiet and comfortable space. Shower before you do so to avoid transferring germs to the baby. And do not wear any perfume either. Now, here’s how you do it:

Step 1: Settle into a calm space.

Find a private space where you can sit and recline. It can be a cozy chair, your bed, or even a hospital couch. Calm and ready your mind. Make sure you are not in a hurry to be somewhere else.

Step 2: Undress your baby gently.

Remove your baby’s clothing. You may leave on their diaper and cap. Their skin should be in direct contact with yours – this is where the magic of kangaroo care lies.

Step 3: Bare your chest.

Open your shirt or wear a wrap-style top. You’ll want your chest exposed so your baby can rest directly on your skin. Keep a light blanket nearby for warmth.

Step 4: Hold your baby upright.

Place your baby in an upright position on your bare chest, with their head turned to one side and resting just above your heart. Support them with one and on their shoulder and the other on their bottom.

Step 5: Cover and cocoon.

Drape a soft blanket or wrap around both of you to maintain warmth and create a cocoon-like environment. Pay attention to your baby’s nose and mouth – they must always be visible so that the baby can breathe freely

Step 6: Stay like this for a while

Aim for at least 20-30 minutes of uninterrupted time. The best duration for each session is 60-120 minutes. You’ll notice your baby relaxing, maybe even drifting off to sleep. Rest easy and hold your position and that is all! This is everything!

A few sessions like this each day, especially in those early weeks, can build a deep level of trust and connection that lasts a lifetime.

In Conclusion

Kangaroo care is a simple, effective way to support your baby’s early development. Just holding your baby skin-to-skin can support their health in powerful ways. Whether your baby was born early, small, or right on time, kangaroo care can be a calming, supportive part of your daily routine for both of you. This type of hold helps your baby adjust to life outside the womb. It’s a practice backed by science and rooted in instinct. All it takes is time, touch, and your willingness to be present.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Kangaroo care have to be skin-to-skin?
Yes, holding the baby over clothing doesn’t offer the same physiological effects.

How soon can we start kangaroo care?
You can start holding your baby skin-to-skin as soon as your baby is medically stable. You can do so even within the first hour after birth. However, if you’ve had a C-section or your baby is in the NICU, do it as per the care team’s instructions.

When do we stop Kangaroo mother care?
Once the baby can maintain temperature, feed well, and gain weight without assistance, often around 2.5–3 kg or a few weeks after birth, you may stop Kangaroo hold. However, it is a powerful bonding and grounding activity, so you can continue doing so as long as you and your baby enjoy the experience.

Can Kangaroo care help relieve pain in babies?
Yes. Skin-to-skin contact helps lower cortisol (stress hormone) and has been seen to reduce pain responses during vaccinations or minor procedures (8).