It is very common for a newborn to sleep far better on a caregiver’s chest than in their own crib. During pregnancy, your baby was held tightly, listening to your heartbeat and following the rhythm of your breathing. After birth, this closeness remains the safest and most familiar environment. Your warmth, scent, and sounds help your baby relax and enter deeper sleep.

Research shows that when babies are held skin-to-skin, their heart rate, breathing, temperature, and stress levels stabilize more quickly. They often sleep more deeply, maintain steadier blood sugar levels, and cry less. So when your baby resists sleeping alone, it isn’t a sign of a problem — it reflects normal biological expectations.

This does not mean you are creating “bad habits” or preventing independence. In fact, this phase supports secure attachment and healthy neurological development. As your baby’s nervous system matures — often after a few weeks or months — they naturally become more able to sleep independently.

You can support gentle transitions by laying your baby down when they are deeply relaxed, rather than immediately at the start of sleep. Providing a safe sleeping space close to you can also help your baby adjust without losing the sense of security that proximity provides.

Alma’s tips

• Skin-to-skin is regulating, comforting, and completely normal.

• Try placing your baby down when deeply relaxed, not right at sleep onset.

• A separate sleeping space close to you can ease the transition.

• This phase passes — closeness now builds long-term security.