Babysitting 101: How To Pick Up/Hold An Infant or Toddler

 Hi everyone,

Amelia and Naomi here, writing together (for the first time in forever)

Anyway, we are starting a new series - Babysitting 101! These will come out every week or so, and teach you how to be the best babysitter!

Today’s subject is how to hold and pick up an infant or toddler. So here goes! (We will be using Curious George to represent the baby and toddler 😁)

Holding/Picking Up An Infant:

There are lots of ways to hold an infant. These include the cradle hold and the shoulder hold. The cradle hold is used for feeding an infant. The shoulder hold works well if you are walking with a baby or trying to calm a baby down. You must always remember to support the head, neck, and back of infants under six months old. Also, most infants feel safe and secure when held closer to the body. 

Picking Up An Infant:

Technique #1: pick up the child with your hands through the armpits and your fingers supporting the back of the neck and head. Move the child smoothly into your arms, avoiding any sudden or quick movements. This form most easily goes into the shoulder hold.

Technique #2: pick up the child with one hand behind the back, neck, and head, supporting it. Put the other hand beneath the infant’s butt and lower back. Then lift the baby up into your arms, most likely into a cradle hold.

Holding an infant:

The Shoulder Hold: For this, hold the infant against your shoulder/chest/side with one hand behind the head/neck and one hand supporting the baby’s butt and lower back. This works best for burping a baby, and most people prefer this method.

The Cradle Hold: For this method, you will lay the infant’s head in the crook of your elbow, making sure to support their head fully. Your arm that has their head will support their back and butt as well. Your second arm can then be used for re enforcement or for holding the bottle. Also, make sure that the head is above the rest of the body, especially when feeding, so the baby doesn’t choke. 

And whatever you do, NEVER hold a baby by it’s leg, arm, neck, or anyway without supporting its head!!!

Holding/Picking Up A Toddler:

Picking up a toddler:

When picking up a toddler, there is really only one way. Put your hands through the child’s armpits and lift into your arms. Toddlers are often heavier then babies, so it is recommended that you bend your knees into a small squat then lift with your legs, back, and arms together.

Holding a toddler:

When holding a toddler, the most common way is the hip-hold. You use one or both arms to support the toddler’s butt and back, and often people will also thrust their hip out a little bit to support the toddler on their hip as well.

We hope you enjoyed this article! Look for the next Babysitting 101 next week!

Keep calm and live life random,

Amelia and Naomi