24/06/2026
If you have a snuggly baby who likes to be held and that works for you, it's okay to have that time with them.
“I think something is wrong with my baby. He never wants to be put down.”
A new mother said this to me recently, exhausted and worried. She had read about independent sleep, baby containers, and all the things babies were “supposed” to do. But her baby had other plans.
He wanted to be held.
All. The. Time.
The truth is, nothing was wrong with her baby.
For nine months, her baby lived in a warm, dark environment where he was constantly held, constantly fed, and could hear his mother’s heartbeat with every moment. Then suddenly he entered a bright, noisy world full of unfamiliar sensations.
Of course he wanted to be close.
Human babies are designed to seek connection. They don’t just need milk. They need touch, warmth, movement, familiar voices, and the reassurance that their caregiver is near. Being held helps regulate their temperature, heart rate, breathing, stress hormones, and emotions.
Wanting to be carried isn’t a bad habit.
Wanting contact isn’t being spoiled.
Wanting you isn’t a problem to fix.
In fact, it’s exactly what we would expect from a healthy newborn.
One day, your baby will crawl away, walk away, and eventually run ahead without looking back. But in these early weeks and months, their favorite place in the entire world is in your arms.
So if your baby only naps on you, wants to nurse constantly, or protests the moment you set them down, take a deep breath.
You don’t have a broken baby.
You have a baby being a baby.
And one day you’ll look back and realize that what felt so overwhelming was also a season of incredible trust, connection, and love.
