Skin to Skin Contact: Benefits for Baby and Parent, and How to Do It Safely

Skin to skin contact, or kangaroo care, means holding your baby in just a diaper against your bare chest; the AAP recommends it right after birth for at least an hour, and it helps keep your baby warm, steady and ready to feed.

Skin to skin contact is one of the simplest things you can do for a newborn. It needs no equipment, and both parents can do it, in the hospital or at home.

Here is what the AAP, WHO, Cleveland Clinic and the newest Cochrane review say about benefits, C-sections, how long to keep going and the safety rules that matter most.

What Is Skin to Skin Contact?

Cleveland Clinic describes kangaroo care as holding your baby against your bare chest while your baby wears only a diaper, and possibly a hat and socks.

Cleveland Clinic explains that the practice was developed in Bogota, Colombia, in the late 1970s, when death rates for preterm babies there were high. Today, the AAP notes, many hospitals and neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) simply call it skin-to-skin care, and any parent can offer it, from the delivery room through the fourth trimester.

The Golden Hour: Skin to Skin Right After Birth

Cleveland Clinic notes that skin-to-skin time right after birth is often called the “golden hour.” Here is what the major guidance says about it:

• AAP: “A newborn should be placed skin-to-skin with their parent as soon after birth as possible, for at least an hour,” then moved to their back in a bassinet.
• AAP clinical report (2016): skin-to-skin should start as soon as the mother is medically stable, awake and able to respond to her newborn, and continue for at least 1 hour.
• WHO: Step 4 of the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding is to facilitate immediate and uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact and support mothers to start breastfeeding as soon as possible after birth.

The 2016 AAP report (Feldman-Winter and Goldsmith) adds that painful or separating procedures should wait until after the first hour, or the first breastfeed, and that vitamin K and eye ointment can be delayed 1 to 4 hours.

Benefits of Skin to Skin Contact for Baby

Some benefits are stronger in preterm babies than in healthy full-term ones. Here is what each source reports:

The strongest recent evidence is a 2025 Cochrane review (Moore and colleagues) of 69 randomized trials with 7,290 mother-infant pairs. Babies who had skin-to-skin within the first 24 hours were about 1.36 times as likely to be exclusively breastfed up to one month, and about 1.38 times as likely at 6 weeks to 6 months. The authors rated the evidence for heart and breathing stability as low certainty.

The AAP adds an encouraging point for busy parents: these benefits are apparent even when kangaroo care happens for only a few minutes each day.

Benefits for the Birthing Parent, Dads and Partners

The AAP says skin-to-skin promotes bonding and the release of “feel-good hormones,” and offers comfort and calm after delivery.

• Breastfeeding and milk supply: Cleveland Clinic says kangaroo care helps parents establish breastfeeding and increase milk supply.
• Confidence: Cleveland Clinic says it can help parents feel confident caring for their baby and responding to their needs.

For the birthing parent’s physical recovery (blood loss, delivery of the placenta), the 2025 Cochrane review found the evidence inconclusive.

Dads and partners count, too. The AAP states that both parents can participate in skin-to-skin care. Cleveland Clinic adds that fathers, other family members and trained volunteers can do kangaroo care, while noting that most research has focused on mothers.

Skin to Skin After a C-Section

A cesarean birth does not rule out skin-to-skin. Cleveland Clinic says the care team will try to help you do it after a vaginal delivery or a C-section. The 2016 AAP clinical report says skin-to-skin after a cesarean can begin once the mother is awake and able to respond to her baby.

The same report says mothers after a cesarean warrant closer monitoring because of limited mobility and anesthesia effects, so a nurse or your partner should stay beside you.

If you are too unwell, Cleveland Clinic says a partner or other support person can do skin-to-skin instead.

Kangaroo Care in the NICU and for Preemies

In November 2022, the WHO advised that kangaroo mother care for preterm and low-birthweight babies should start immediately after birth, without any initial period in an incubator. Under earlier guidance, babies were usually stabilized in an incubator or warmer first, which took on average about 3 to 7 days.

The WHO describes kangaroo mother care as skin-to-skin contact with a primary caregiver, often in a special sling or wrap, for as many hours as possible, combined with exclusive breastfeeding. It says about 15 million babies are born preterm (before 37 weeks) each year.

The AAP says you can hold your baby skin-to-skin as soon as they are stable, and Cleveland Clinic says the care team will tell you whether it is possible with IVs or other equipment. Our NICU baby guide covers feeding, equipment and coping.

How to Do Skin to Skin at Home, Step by Step

These steps combine Cleveland Clinic’s home instructions with the 2016 AAP report’s positioning checklist:

1. Pick a time you are rested and alert, such as early morning or after a bath, and put your phone away (Cleveland Clinic).
2. Prepare your skin. Cleveland Clinic advises clean skin with no perfume or lotion, and skipping it if you are sick, have a rash, open cuts or cold sores, or have been smoking.
3. Sit upright or semi-reclined in a supportive spot where you can stay awake, wearing a top that opens in the front (remove your bra if you wear one).
4. Undress your baby down to the diaper, with a hat and socks if the room is cool (Cleveland Clinic).
5. Place your baby upright on your chest, chest to chest, with your baby’s head turned to one side (Cleveland Clinic).
6. Check the position: face visible, nose and mouth uncovered, head turned to one side, neck straight rather than bent, shoulders and chest facing you (AAP clinical report).
7. Cover your baby’s back, not their head or face, with your top or a light blanket for warmth (Cleveland Clinic; AAP clinical report).
8. Relax, breathe normally and let your baby rest. Cleveland Clinic advises not playing with or rousing your baby, and staying awake.
9. When you feel drowsy, move your baby to their back in their own crib or bassinet before you doze (AAP).

For feeding help, see how to breastfeed, cracked nipples and dry, peeling nipples. After-bath sessions pair well with our newborn bath guide, and newborn vision explains what your baby sees up close.

How Long and How Often to Do Skin to Skin Contact

There is no magic number and no official age to stop. None of the sources we reviewed sets a cutoff. Many families do it most in the newborn weeks and keep it as a calming tool for as long as both enjoy it, as long as the adult stays awake.

Skin to Skin Safety: Sudden Unexpected Postnatal Collapse

Skin-to-skin needs attention, especially in the first hours. The rare event it guards against is sudden unexpected postnatal collapse (SUPC): a term or near-term baby who seemed well at birth suddenly collapses and needs help breathing within the first 7 days.

The report estimates 2.6 to 133 cases per 100,000 newborns, cites one report in which about 73% of events happened in the first 2 hours of life, and describes a case series in which 15 of 26 cases occurred during skin-to-skin with the baby on their tummy.

The report calls for extra watchfulness when a baby needed breathing support or had low Apgar scores, was born at 37 to 39 weeks or after a difficult delivery, when the parent received medicines that can affect the newborn (such as general anesthesia, magnesium sulfate or codeine), or when parent or baby is very sleepy.

The rules: face visible, nose and mouth uncovered, head turned to one side, neck straight, and an alert adult watching at all times. If you feel tired or sleepy, the AAP report says to move your baby to a separate sleep surface, such as a bassinet.

At home, the biggest risk is falling asleep. Cleveland Clinic warns that falling asleep during skin-to-skin can increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The AAP’s safe sleep guide says the risk of sleep-related infant death is up to 67 times higher when infants sleep with someone on a couch, soft armchair or cushion. Never do skin-to-skin on a sofa or recliner if there is any chance you will nod off. If you do fall asleep with your baby, the AAP says to move them to their own sleep space as soon as you wake up.

For sleep, the AAP says: on the back, on a firm, flat surface with a fitted sheet only, in your room but not your bed. See safe sleep environment and co-sleeping.

Skin to Skin Myths and Facts

Related Betteroo Guides

• The 4th Trimester
• NICU Baby: What to Expect
• How to Breastfeed
• Safe Sleep Environment
• Contact Naps
• Breastfeeding Positions

When to Call Your Pediatrician

During skin-to-skin, the AAP clinical report says to keep checking your baby’s breathing, activity, color, tone and position. Call 911 right away if your baby:

• Stops breathing or has pauses in breathing.
• Turns blue or gray, especially around the lips and face. The AAP says persistently blue skin coloring is a sign the heart or lungs are not working properly and needs immediate medical attention.
• Becomes limp or floppy, or you cannot wake them.

Call your pediatrician’s office the same day if your baby:

• Breathes fast (more than 60 breaths a minute), grunts, flares their nostrils or sucks in the skin between the ribs with each breath (AAP).
• Is rarely alert, does not wake for feedings, or seems too tired or uninterested to eat (AAP). Our sleepy newborn guide explains what is normal.
• Has a sudden change from their usual pattern of sleeping, feeding or alertness (AAP).

This article is general education, not medical advice.

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