Family cuddling: 9 Reasons Why Cuddling Your Kids Makes Life Better

9 Reasons Why Cuddling Your Kids Makes Life Better

You probably know why it’s good to cuddle your kids, but did you know it actually makes your life and theirs better? Find out why!

When Mother Teresa received the Nobel Prize, she was asked,

“What can we do to promote world peace?”

She answered “Go home and love your family.” 

Like all the time. It’s an easy way to love your child and help release all the happy hormones in both of you.

1. Kids are precious and squishy

Kids, particularly small ones, are so sweet to hug. It’s like cuddling a teddy bear, except your kids can make cute noises. There is just no one better to hug than one of our own children.

Anyway, hug your kids while they’re squishy because you’ll never be able to say “you are so nice to hug because you’re just so squishy and soft and cuddly,” to anyone else ever.

2. Hugging may make kids smarter

Research shows that children whose parents demonstrate love to them verses children whose parents don’t actually have bigger brains (source).

Good to know that if you love your child it’ll make them smarter, eh?

By providing your children with a loving and safe environment (of course, this requires more than cuddling) you are directly affecting their development.

Hugging may not raise their IQ, but it’ll help them get the most out of it. And that will be good for them, their future family, and the spheres in which they will move as adults.

Read: Why Cuddling Is Good For Our Children’s Brains

3. Cuddling and hugging releases good chemicals (happy hormones)

Physical contact releases a certain chemical in the brain that promotes happiness and lower stress hormones (source).

Cuddling and hugging can literally put you in a better mood.

And pretty quick at that! If you’ve had a tough day, or if your kids are pushing the envelope and you to your limit, a good way to stop and reset the home atmosphere is to cuddle.

4. Your children’s physical affection cup will be filled

Have you ever tried to hug someone who doesn’t like physical touch? Awkward. Physical touch doesn’t have to be your love language for you to appreciate the connection and thought it implies.

When parents never touch their children they will be deprived affection. If your kids are deprived affection they will seek it elsewhere.

It’s a biological need, physical tough, and improves emotional and mental well being.

50+ Connection Questions

Pull out these fun connecting questions to share some laughs with your precious ones!

Use them at:

• meal times
• car rides
• as a “calm down” trick
• for dinner time conversation
• or any time the day is getting chaotic or
• you need a reset to connect.

5. Physical contact and roughhousing is good exercise

I probably burn around 400 calories a day (I have a calorie calculator in my head I am quite sure is accurate) trying to pin down my 18 month old.

Because I chase him, I hold him up in the air then bring him down, I hang on to him when he giggles and tries to pull away.

He’s walloped me in the ribs, the face, and my teeth. It’s like kickboxing. But with chubby legs and squeals. And less sweating.

Read: Why roughhousing is great for kids and parents

6. Cuddling communicates love

While adults are able to determine how they feel best loved (5 Love Languages), young children are not. If you look them in the eye, give them attention, smile at them, and show them physical affection they feel good. When they see you like them and that makes them feel good, they feel loved. 

When kids misbehave and you still hug them, they feel secure with you. If they break something valuable and you hug them, they know their position in the house isn’t in jeopardy.

If you flip out in anger, ask for forgiveness, and seal it with a hug, they understand about conflict resolution. It is one way – out of many – that confirms your love for them.

Read: 5 common anger triggers for moms – and how to overcome

Character Affirmations For Kids

Want to help develop your child’s strengths Use these cards to dive into the character qualities and how your child does – and can in the future = exhibit them in their own life.

Learn More

7. It keeps the parent / child connection strong

When we’ve had a busy day, had lots of guests, or I’ve been preoccupied with work, cooking or life, a good way to reconnect with the kids is through a big hug.

It says, “I’ll slow down and just be with you.”

If you have company over and your kids feel slightly overwhelmed or shy, a cuddle says, “Even though I’m focusing on others right now, I haven’t forgotten about you.”

At the end of a long day, a good schnuggle (as my son calls it) before bedtime says, “After all is said and done, I am here for you.” And on the flip side, sometimes a hug is the only way little ones can express appreciation.

Read: 35 simple ways to show love to your child

8. Most kids crave hugs, cuddles, and kisses

Everyone, but particularly younger children, need to be cuddled. Kids need physical touch. They need comfort. They need a safe place close to their real life heroes when they feel scared or nervous.

I know not every parent finds physical affection easy. I know some mothers and fathers struggle to give lots of hugs and cuddles.

My advice?

Do it anyway. And do it often. 

9. We need physical affection, too

Some days I don’t want to hug my kids. Some days, however, I do want to squeeze them. Very hard until it hurts. Okay I’m kidding.

It’s the hard days when everyone is cranky, people are sick, heart attitudes are not what they should be, and we feel at the end of our rope that we most need to get back to the basics.

When I’m frustrated with one of my kids and on the verge of losing it, I will often grab them and give them a big tight hug. In my heart I’m saying, “You are driving me crazy and if I don’t hug you I’m going to yell at you.”

What I do say is, “Mommy gets frustrated sometimes, but she loves you very much.”

50+ Life Skills Checklists (By Age!)

Kids (toddlers through elementary school) will learn everything from life management, social, survival, and hygiene skills PLUS MORE!

Cuddling in a nutshell…

Kids want to be cuddled.
They want hugs when they’re happy.
And need hugs when they’re sad.
Kids want proof you still love them when they’ve been difficult.

Moms need affection too.
We also want hugs when we’re happy.
We too need hugs when we’re down.
And we need to know we’re still loved. Even when we’ve screwed up.

::

Why Hugs Are Good for Your Brain and Your Family Bond

Photo by © sally anscombe/Stocksy United

We all know that nothing beats cuddling under the covers a snuggly kid and a good book. But did you know that cuddling with your kids is actually good for you?

Hugs actually help us form lasting bonds with our children—which is why we definitely recommend a daily dose of closeness.

Here’s why hugging is good for your health:

Even before a baby is born, a pregnant mother releases the hormone oxytocin into the brain and bloodstream. (Oxytocin is what causes contractions to move labor along, gets breast milk flowing, and helps create an intense bond between her and her child.) But this bond isn’t exclusive to the mom. Dads, partners, and adoptive parents can get a rush of oxytocin when they hug and cuddle with their children.

2. Hugs cement the parent-child bond.

When you cradle and hold your children, your brain releases dopamine—the pleasure hormone that signals reward. This cuddling “high” helps infants and children recognize your smell, and vice versa, which is important for bonding. The more you snuggle, the more you experience dopamine’s effects, which creates a cycle that makes you want to snuggle more. How great is that?

3. Hugs are good for your heart.

Snuggling—and the brain chemicals it releases—have been linked to health benefits for parents and children alike. A higher level of oxytocin has been shown to reduce heart rate and lower blood pressure, and reduce the risk of heart disease. Yes, love and kindness may be the key to a healthy heart!

4. Hugs can make a boo-boo feel better.

Oxytocin and dopamine can even have an effect on pain. Cuddling with babies and children who are teething can cut down on irritability by making them less stressed and releasing brain chemicals to reduce inflammation and heal faster. Cuddling and kisses may not ease every kind of pain, but they can certainly help calm your little one, which is always a good idea.

In other words, when it comes to hugs and kisses, the more the better. So go ahead, open up your arms and your heart!

Tips And Guidance

Brain Development

Social And Emotional Learning

Infant

Toddler

Pre-K

Kindergarten

School Age

Positive parenting

Health

A wounded dog from Mariupol is looking for a family in Irkutsk.

She hugs and asks for hands

Komsomolskaya Pravda

Dom. Family Living area Living area: Dogs

Lyubov ARBATSKAYA

June 10, 2022 10:26

Employees of the “K-9” kennel brought dozens of emaciated and frightened animals from Donbass to Irkutsk

Embracing and asking to be held. A wounded dog from Mariupol is looking for a family in Irkutsk. Photo: TV channel TIVISI.

Bandaged paw, fear and longing in the eyes. This beautiful black dog – a dog mix – has suffered horrors in his short life. Wounded, hungry and frightened, he probably rushed through the streets of Mariupol for more than one day. The poor fellow ran after passers-by, hoping that someone would caress him, take him home, feed him and treat him. And the dog is lucky. He followed the director of the Irkutsk nursery “K-9″Vyacheslav Slavin, who just arrived with his colleagues in the Donbass to save abandoned animals.

– They took cats from the street, there were no dogs around. Suddenly, out of nowhere, this dog galloped up on three legs – to ask for help. And no more from us departed, – says Vyacheslav Slavin on the air of the TV channel TIVISI. – We took him in, did an x-ray. We thought that he had a bite, but it turned out to be a shrapnel wound.

Together with 27 cats and 11 dogs this dog was brought to Irkutsk. Now the pet does not leave a single step from his savior. She clings tightly to his legs and hugs him with a healthy paw … After the experience, the tailed one has not lost trust in people, on the contrary, he needs care even more. The Great Dane, like all other four-legged ones, is being treated and his owners are being looked for.

– This was the second business trip of our “Zoodozor”, continues Vyacheslav Slavin. – During the first one we went to Donetsk and Gorlovka, the animals were brought from there to Moscow. And from Mariupol everyone was taken to “K-9”.

A dog is recovering from a shrapnel wound. Photo: TV channel TIVISI.

He says there are thousands of abandoned pets in the Donbass. Mostly cats, but there are many dogs, and purebred ones.

– Pets are emaciated, sick, we were worried how they would survive this trip, but all went well. Now they are under the supervision of veterinarians and feel fine, – says the director of the nursery “K-9”.

They also brought Mariupol cats. Photo: TV channel TIVISI.

Fluffy refugees were carefully examined, microchipped, photographed and entered into the register. Now they are in quarantine, resting and gaining strength. And finally they will be able to get stronger at home, with new loving owners.

By the way, at the end of June-beginning of July, the staff of the nursery is going on a third trip to Donbass, this time they will go on a bigger truck to take out as many animals as possible.0004

Read also

In Irkutsk for the first time in Russia, Koloboka

Irkutsk veterinarians for the first time in Russia managed to exit the nervous nerl

(details)

Age category of 18+ 9000

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Use the Internet Safely – Microsoft Support

Nothing is more important than safety. Microsoft is committed to keeping our data and devices secure, both online and at home. Use the resources from this set and be calm. From the enhanced privacy and security features built into Windows to emergency plans and checklists for home use, you’ll find the tools you need to prepare and stay safe.

Online

Your data is your property, no matter where it is located. We use technologies and policies that make the benefits of cloud computing available to all and that ensure that the cloud is trusted and inclusive. Learn how to keep your digital life safe.

Microsoft

provides advanced virus and cybercrime protection, security and privacy tools, and file recovery from attacks. Check out this infographic about how Microsoft helps you stay safe online.

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Keep the Internet safe for children

With features such as activity reporting, screen time limits, location sharing, and content limits, you can manage your family’s digital health and safety, where you can also track your kids’ spending and add funds to their Microsoft accounts.

Learn more about family safety

Protect your important documents

Vacation photos, files, and schedules that bring your family together are all important. Keep copies of your files in a secure cloud with OneDrive and access them from any device.

For highly sensitive confidential documents such as insurance policies, birth certificates or tax records, a personal safe is provided to provide an additional layer of security with identity verification. Your data and memories are securely protected.

Manage devices and family accounts

Tired of losing devices? Turn on location sharing to track children and find your device if it doesn’t appear.

The Microsoft account page allows you to centrally track all accounts.

Protecting information with passwords

You can require passwords to access files in OneDrive via links. This prevents users who were not provided with the link by you from accessing it.

Learn more about password protection

Where is everyone?

Keep track of where and when your family members should be with the integrated family calendar.

Learn more about shared family calendars

Phishing Protection

Phishing is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker tries to steal your money or your identity by forcing you to add personal information to websites that mistakenly appear to be real.

Learn more about how to prevent phishing

File recovery after attacks

Microsoft 365 not only warns you about ransomware and malicious attacks, it also helps you restore earlier versions of files in OneDrive if they fall into the hands of cybercriminals.

Learn more about ransomware detection and recovery

Learn more about restoring OneDrive

Encryption of mail to mitigate risks

Use email encryption in Outlook.com to safely share personal or sensitive information and minimize the threat of cybercriminals intercepting or reading your mail.

Learn more about mail encryption

Houses

Being safe means being two steps ahead of any problem.