Infant and toddler health

• Slides:
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Breast-feeding: Cross-cradle hold

Breast-feeding can be awkward at first. Experiment with various positions until you feel comfortable.

The cross-cradle hold is ideal for early breast-feeding. Sit up straight in a comfortable chair with armrests. Bring your baby across the front of your body, tummy to tummy. Hold your baby in the crook of the arm opposite the breast you're feeding from — left arm for right breast, right arm for left. Support the back of the baby's head with your open hand. With the other hand, support your breast from the underside in a U-shaped hold. Guide the baby's mouth to your breast. Don't bend over or lean forward. Instead, cradle your baby close to your breast.

1. Your guide to breastfeeding. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health. http://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/breastfeeding-guide. Accessed Dec. 16, 2011.
2. Riordan J, et al. Breastfeeding and Human Lactation. 4th ed. Sudbury, Mass.: Jones and Bartlett Publishers; 2010.
3. Vennemann MM, et al. Bed sharing and the risk of sudden infant death syndrome: Can we resolve the debate? The Journal of Pediatrics. 2012;160:44.