Can You Spoil a Newborn Baby?

Is it possible to give a newborn baby too much attention? Do you risk spoiling them by picking them up every time they cry, or feeding them when they’re hungry? What about all the rocking, cooing, and singing you do for them? Will your child grow up to be a tantrum-throwing brat because you actually nurtured and cared for them as an infant?

You can't spoil a Baby

No you cannot spoil a baby. All that loving on your baby will do nothing to spoil them, because newborns are not manipulative. You don't have a spoiled baby, they just have basic needs that they’re crying to have met. For instance, while adults have mastered language, babies have not - so they express their discomfort by crying.

You’ll do your part to comfort them by learning to discern their cries. Some will be short-lived after a good meal or fresh diapers. Others will let you know that they’re ill or in pain. In addition, those cries are distinctly different than anything else you’ve heard or dealt with.

Bonding with your baby now, helps them self-soothe later on.

When babies trust the world around them, they’re able to develop healthy coping mechanisms that get them through troubling experiences without their parents. They’re able to comfort themselves through self-soothing. That’s why you may see a child sucking their thumb or clutching onto their blanket or stuffed animal.

Through your example, they’re able to get past their fears and sleep through the night. That’s a huge advantage for any parents. Sleep training can be very difficult for all parties involved but babies who were cared for intently as newborns face greater ease as older babies in acclimating to their new environment thanks to knowing how to imitate their parents by self-soothing.

A newborn does not have the ability to problem-solve let alone manipulate.

Babies are largely feeling creatures when they’re first born. They must learn critical thinking skills and behaviors before they can manipulate you into doing things for them. If you think that all the attention that you’re giving your infant now is going to turn them into a surly, unforgiving toddler, you’re wrong. They will never remember all the attention you showered them with during their first few months of life.

Let the people that you know who beg to differ with you know that you’ll continue to parent your baby the best way you know how, by loving them and making them a VIP in your life. That way, there is never any question as to your child’s motives. You’ll simply be a mother loving your kid with all your heart.

Tell the Naysayers to Go Bye-Bye

If someone accuses you of overcoddling your child, tell them with a straight face that it’s your job and you take it seriously. There is no way to spoil a newborn baby because they aren’t demanding designer clothes and five-star restaurant meals. Their needs are basic, their minds innocent, and their bodies responding to the feelings they experience in the moment.

Use this list to challenge the people in your life who claim that you're spoiling a newborn by doing what you were born to do for them, care for them the way a loving mother would.

Spoil Yourself

While you can't spoil a baby, you can spoil yourself. After almost a year of bodily changes, it is not selfish to want to look and feel your best. You may not ever get back to how you were pre-baby, but you can make sure you look and feel as confident as you can.

Your health is important too. A happy baby needs a healthy mother! Speed up your recovery process and support your lower back with Bellefit's postpartum girdles and corsets. Not only will you be able to heal quicker, but you'll also get back into shape faster!

What do you think is the best way to deal with individuals that constantly accuse you of spoiling your newborn baby?