Sleep

Swaddling helps to lessen the shock of transferring. Swaddle just before the feed, keeping the hands and legs nice and snug inside. Another trick I learned is that when I reach the cot, I’ll adjust the arm that was under the head while I’m still carrying my little one, until only my hand is supporting the head and neck. This makes it easier to remove when I put the head down. If baby is still sensitive to that, I’ve learnt that after placing down, I leave my hand touching the head for a short while more till baby settles, then I slowly remove. Sometimes my LO’s hand escapes the swaddle. So after putting her down gently, before her arm starts flailing around in distress, I hold her arm gently and position it at the side of the head. Apparently it’s very comfortable (judging from both my kids’ experience), and they settle down a bit better.