Here at Hugs HQ, it probably comes as no surprise that we're huggers. We hugs our kids a lot. And they hug us back a lot.
Are you the kind of parent that’s always hugging your kids as well? Because, if the answer is yes then we've got great news!
According to new research, physical affection during a baby’s development period is even more important than we thought. In fact, the more you hug a baby, the more their brains grow.
During the study at Nationwide Hospital in Ohio, 125 babies, both premature and full-term, were included to look at how well they responded to being physically touched.
One of the things that was revealed during the study, was that babies that were subjected to more affection by parents or hospital staff showed stronger brain response.
According to researcher Dr. Nathalie Maitre, this tells us that something as simple as body contact or rocking your baby in your arms will make a big difference in how their brains develop.
“Making sure that preterm babies receive positive, supportive touch such as skin-to-skin care by parents is essential to help their brains respond to gentle touch in ways similar to those of babies who experienced an entire pregnancy inside their mother’s womb.”
So essentially, affection is vital for the development of the brain. Therefore, science says go crazy with the cuddles!
See? Hugs for Kids = Good for Them!