My daughter was also a baby that loved to be held from a very young age! I suspect that this is waht you daughter wants!! You can't spoil a baby by holding her..I promise! It will make her feel safe, loved, secure and happy!!

Crying it out, doesn't pertain to babies this young! If you hold her and meet her needs now, it can only do good!!

Good luck and congrats!!

She is beautiful!

You have a smart husband there.  Allowing her to cry for a while is a good idea.  It is character building in that it teaches her some independence and patience.  Don't ignore her, just tell her that you will be there in a minute and keep doing what you are doing.

Picking her up as soon as she cries is giving her the message that she will get what she wants when she wants.  This is something that will become an issue as she gets older, like at school etc, if you don't start working on the problem now.

my son is 3 months and is goin through that phase of crying for attention.  he is quite happy to play on his own but when he wants attention he cries till hes so red in the face and as soon as i pick him up hes quite again.  my father told me to let him cry as soon as his tears start pick him up.  u might be spioling them but letting them cry is good for their lungs and it also teaches them that they have a imagination and its good to let it develop. my son loves chatting to himself. as long as he knows im there hes happy to be alone.

She is a newborn baby! They need a lot of affection and attention. I think it is mean to just let them cry, it is upsetting for them as well as you. Your baby may just be one of those children that need extra attention. My youngest son was like that, he cried a LOT more than my elder son. But, both my babies were attached to me (and on the boob) for the first couple of years, and they are fine and independent now. My Mum had all 6 of her kids attached to her for at least the first couple of years as well, we were all breastfed til 2 years of age, and it's nice to have a close bond with your children... they grow up so quickly, do you really want to spend her infanthood listening to her  crying? Once they start school, it all changes, and I miss having my "babies" at home! Do what you think is best, don't worry about what anyone else thinks. Men will always say to let them cry, they don't have as much of that emotional attachment like us women!

I agree with everyone here they all say go with your instincts, everyone got worried about my son as he hardly ever cried. I am like wat is wrong with that and they all said his voicebox wont develop properly if he doesnt cry. So now I let him cry a little bit in the mornings to let his voicebox strestch while I am trying to get the energy to get outta bed.

Hope this helps.

Personally I would say, go with your instinct. You know your child better than anyone else (even than her dad) so trust yourself to know what is best for her. As for books and opinions, there are enough experts to prove both you and your DH right!

Each mum will react to each child differently. With my 1st child, I could not bear to hear her cry, and she could cry unbearably loudly, and go from 0 to 60 in 2 seconds, so she had me well trained! But her little sister, who is equally loud, but slower to get to full volume, I can leave to cry for a bit, unless it is the pain cry, then I am there in a flash!

If you and she are happiest with holding her in her miserable patch (7-11) then hold her then, but perhaps try outside that time to let her wait slightly longer. You might want to consider putting her in a baby sling or carrier so you can hold her "hands-free" and talk to her while you get on with things around the house or go out for walks? Then she will feel you close and that might comfort her.

Some babies dont like much physical contact (I know a mum at school who's son hated cuddles as a baby) whereas others are born cuddly. My DD1 is much more cuddly than my DD2, and seemed to have a need from the day she was born to be held, and to be held upright, all day! She wouldnt play on the floor until she could sit on it! Her sister was more than happy to be placed under a nice baby gym.

What mum needs is, I think, valid too. If you feel that your own upbringing was lacking, you will naturally want to make sure that your daughter doesnt miss out as you did. If picking her up and playing with her makes you feel less anxious and that it is a tangible way of showing her love, then go ahead. No point IMO in making yourself feel anxious, or letting yourself believe that you are not being loving to your daughter. Parenting makes us all feel insecure enough as it is! With me, I wanted to bring up confident children, to remedy my own upbringing, and so I felt that spending lots of time with my children encouraging them was the best way to boost their self-confidence. If I thought they were feeling insecure I would feel I wasnt doing a good job as a mum, so for me it's a priority. My own parents were fromt he generation which were determined not to spoil children or make them "big-headed" so they had other priorities.

So, work out what is best for you and your daughter. You are the expert here. Have confidence in your instincts, they wont let you down!

Your husband is right. Babies do need to cry for certain amounts of time. Why? Because this helps their little lungs to develop correctly and will reduce the risk of them becoming asthmatic but remember - i said reduce, not cancel out.

You picking your baby up when she is crying could be because of the way you felt as a child BUT you are creating a rod for your own back. You can still cuddle and play with your baby - i am not saying not to but just let her cry for a few minutes before you pick her up.

You will get to know if she is crying for attn as she should be smiling by now and will either smile when she sees you or stop "crying " the minute she sees you.

When picking her up, perhaps try giving her a burp for 10 minutes or changing her nappy, and if you are breast feeding, she may not be getting enough milk and may still be hungry. If she is bottle fed with S26, put her up to the 180ml limit instead of staying on 120. My son (now 4.5 months) was a very hungry baby.

I hope things improve and good luck!  

Hi there

My son is almost 1 now, and for the first few months i did the same thing. Every time he cried, i picked him up. Sometimes i still do. Like when he is sick or teething or whatever. The way i see it, is these tiny little babies must be crying for a reason and they need their mummy and daddy so so so much, especially in the early days. If she is not crying when you are playing with her, then maybe she is crying for attention.

My son was quite independant from day one, so i dont really know what that is like. But i think if you are comfortable to pick her up and nurse her when she cries, then you do that.

They grow up so quick, and before you know it, she wont want to be held and nursed very often, so i say enjoy it! Do whatever makes you comfortable. Personally i dont think you can nurse a new baby too much.

Cass xxx

I think sometimes they do just want a hug sheis still tiny sheis only 7 weeks its a big place compared to the womb in there she was hugging you all the time . Like you i disagree with your husband to let the m cry at this age is not good when they are older its ok . When my daughter was this age i would always comfort her when she cried which wasnt all that often really and even now she is 2 she has never been a crying baby . I do spoil my daughter i know i shouldent buti do so i dont hthink it is that she is spoilt at all i just think she wants to be hugged and comforted . Also congratulations on your new baby girl . xxx