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Whether you are breast or bottle feeding, you and your baby will benefit from spending time having skin-to-skin contact or “kangaroo care”.

Skin-to-skin contact keeps your baby warm, regulates their heartbeat and breathing, and even helps with growth and brain development. It stimulates the production of breast milk and encourages breastfeeding cues. It makes you both feel calm and reduces the production of your stress hormones.

HOW TO:  When you are relaxing in the chair, undress your baby leaving just the nappy on, and hold your baby upright on your chest. You can tuck him/her under your top and place a blanket to cover you both if you wish. Do this as often and for as long as you can, but at least once a day.

We encourage skin-to-skin with all babies, even those requiring the support of a breathing machine.

Skin-to-skin care can be given by both parents/carers and siblings too – this helps families bond with their baby.

The benefits of skin-to-skin and kangaroo care for premature babies can be seen in the video below: