Skin to skin doesn’t have to be only directly after delivery or only for breast/chest-feeding partners! Bottle feeding parents and even grandparents can enjoy skin to skin with baby too! Keep reading below to learn the different ways to skin to skin without breast/chest-feeding and the benefits!
Skin to skin doesn’t have to be only directly after delivery or only for breast/chest-feeding partners! Bottle feeding parents and even grandparents can enjoy skin to skin with baby.
Skin to skin has so many benefits – including regulating baby’s heart rate and respiratory rate, regulating their temperature and blood sugar, and transferring good bacteria from your skin to theirs. Skin to skin can be performed at any time or age – as long as your baby will allow!
Breast/chest-feeding, is of course, skin to skin, but here are 5 ways to skin to skin with your baby without breast/chest-feeding:
1. Bottle feed skin to skin
- Hold your baby close to your chest or even upright. Slide the bottle against your chest and let baby feed! This is how Kate feeds Ro at bedtime.
2. Wear your baby in a carrier while shirtless
- Take that top off! Or just wear a bra. Place baby skin to skin with you while in the carrier
- This is Kate’s favorite!
- And here’s a budget friendly option. You can put a robe on top of you and close it over yourself (make sure you can still see baby).
- These baby wearing shirts are great too, as well as these tops for over a carrier.
3. Wear a robe and practice tummy to tummy time
- Recline to 45 degrees on a couch, chair or bed while wearing an open robe (here’s Kate’s must have!). Place baby bare chest to bare chest with you and have baby practice tummy time!
4. Take a bath!
- *With caution!* Taking a bath with baby skin to skin is one of Kate’s favorite ways to bond.
5. Kangaroo care
This is what we call skin to skin in the NICU! Place baby skin to skin with you on your chest with a robe or blouse/button up pajamas (these are a great budget friendly option!) Get cozy, read a book, relax, and bond while baby naps!
Other helpful blog posts:
- Correctly bottle feeding your baby
- 5 signs that it’s time to wean from breastfeeding or pumping
- Bath essentials + cradle cap remedy
- 10 common baby + child illnesses
- Everything you need to know about formula
- Diaper bag essentials
Have more questions? Schedule a text or video chat consult with Kate, Lauren or Natalie (NICU RNs) and they can help answer any questions that you have!
**This post is educational and not meant to take the place of your provider. Bumblebaby makes a small commission on some of the items listed above
