Skin to Skin with Foster Baby: Yes, Kangaroo Care Has Benefits!

Every November, during National Adoption Month, we take time to celebrate the love, patience, and strength that adoptive and foster parents bring into a child’s life. While the fostering and adoption processes are filled with unique emotions and milestones, especially with infants, one of the most meaningful ways to bond is through skin-to-skin contact—also known as Kangaroo Care.

The importance of skin-to-skin contact cannot be overstated for both foster and adoptive families, as it plays a crucial role in fostering bonding and supporting the overall well-being of both parents and babies.

This natural practice involves holding a new baby or foster infant, wearing only a diaper, directly on a parent’s bare chest. Whether it’s a biological baby, a foster baby, or an adopted baby, the closeness of skin contact helps create a deep connection that supports emotional and physical well-being for both the parent and the child.

What Is Skin-to-Skin Contact, or “Kangaroo Care?”

Kangaroo Care, or skin-to-skin contact, is a simple yet powerful way to nurture connection. It’s most often practiced by placing the baby directly on the parent’s chest, where the warmth of the skin and rhythm of the heartbeat provide comfort and familiarity, much like what the infant experienced in the womb. This practice allows parents to physically connect with their baby, fostering hands-on bonding and emotional closeness.

Research shows that skin-to-skin contact helps stabilize a baby’s heart rate and improve body temperature. For breastfeeding mothers, it also promotes milk production, and placing the baby against the mother’s breasts helps regulate the baby’s temperature and promotes better sleep. But the biggest benefit, especially for adoptive parents, is the opportunity to experience closeness with their new baby, especially in the early days after placement. Practicing skin-to-skin with a foster baby can promote bonding, reduce stress, and help establish a sense of safety and belonging. Skin-to-skin contact can also help soothe a baby’s cry by meeting their innate need for closeness and comfort.

Benefits for Adoptive and Foster Parents

For adoptive or foster parents, the benefits of skin-to-skin contact go far beyond physical connection—it strengthens the parent-child connection emotionally, too. Holding your baby close allows both of you to release oxytocin, often called the love hormone, which promotes calmness and trust.

Parents who engage in this practice often report feeling more confident and connected to their foster baby. It provides a beautiful opportunity to replace uncertainty with comfort, especially during the early days of adjustment when everything feels new.

It’s not just about touch—it’s about presence. Through eye contact, shared warmth, and the steady rhythm of a heartbeat, both you and your foster baby build an emotional bridge that supports attachment and long-term well-being.

In many cases, skin-to-skin contact has also been linked to reduced stress and anxiety for both parents and babies, creating a peaceful environment that benefits the entire family. For adoptive families, this connection can have a huge impact on the success of bonding and the overall adoption process.

How Skin-to-Skin Contact Works

Before starting, make sure you have no perfume on, and that you do not smoke as this can disrupt the process and might even harm the baby.

1. Place the baby, dressed in only a diaper and a hat or socks if it’s cold, on your bare chest so that their skin touches yours.
2. Turn their head to one side so that their ear is on your heart (the left side of your chest.)
3. Wrap a blanket around you and your baby, while still maintaining contact with bare skin.
4. Hold your baby like this for at least an hour (lying down makes this a lot easier!)

It might take a few minutes for the infant to calm down, but once they do, you will most likely find that they fall asleep while resting on your chest. Parents must stay awake and attentive, however! Never leave a baby unattended during Kangaroo Care.

Techniques for Skin Contact

There are several ways adoptive parents can incorporate skin-to-skin contact into daily life. The key is to make it a calm, consistent practice that fits naturally into your routine.

Here are a few simple techniques:

• During Feeding: Whether breastfeeding, bottle-feeding, or simply holding your baby, keeping their skin against yours can make the experience more soothing.
• After Bathing: Dry your baby, then hold them close for a few minutes of skin contact to help them relax and regulate their body temperature.
• Before Sleep: Use skin-to-skin as part of the bedtime routine to help infants feel safe, loved, and ready to rest.

These small, consistent acts can improve sleep patterns, strengthen attachment, and support brain development.

Bonding with Foster or Adopted Children

Bonding between adoptive parents and a foster baby is a deeply personal experience. Unlike biological parents who may have had months of prenatal connection, adoptive parents often begin their relationship in the delivery room. Skin-to-skin helps establish that connection after birth.

When a baby is held close, they feel the rhythm of your heartbeat, smell your familiar scent, and begin to associate your warmth with safety. This physical closeness builds trust and helps the infant begin to recognize a new parent as a source of comfort and care.

Skin-to-skin contact with a foster baby can also soothe crying, improve sleep, and promote brain development by creating a calm and nurturing space where the baby feels secure. For many adoptive parents growing into their new role, this connection becomes the foundation for a lifetime of love.

Every moment of skin-to-skin contact supports emotional attachment and helps transform a house into a home filled with love, patience, and understanding.

Helping with Premature, Malnourished, or Addiction-Recovering Newborns

The reason children enter foster care is that their parents are unable or unwilling to take care of them. This sad reality often means that children enter foster care due to neglect or their parents’ drug use. Sometimes, that means many infants (about 13%) are born with prenatal substance exposure, which means they were exposed to illicit drugs in the womb. Premature babies also often struggle to maintain body temperature on their own, making extra care important. Fortunately, one of the most remarkable benefits of skin-to-skin with an adopted or foster baby is helping them recover from these issues.

The bare chest of a parent naturally provides warmth. This bonding process helps the baby feel secure, safe, and relaxed, encouraging their bodies to heal and grow. This also encourages steady breathing and a stable heart rate, which are crucial for a newborn’s health and well-being.

Foster parents can provide the kind of comfort and care that supports both physical health and emotional growth with skin-to-skin. Your baby learns your scent, your heartbeat, and your touch. These are the cues that tell them they’re loved, protected, and home.

Skin-to-skin contact also benefits and supports breast milk production, should a parent choose to breastfeed or pump. For adoptive parents, this is a way to actively participate in their adopted baby’s early development. The closeness can signal the body to produce more milk while also making feeding sessions more peaceful and natural.

Making the Choice to Adopt an Infant

For many families, the adoption or fostering process involves many emotional and financial decisions. As adoptive parents prepare for their new baby, exploring practices like skin-to-skin contact can help them feel more ready for the journey ahead. Organizations like Foster Love offer a range of adoption choices and tailored support for families in different states.

Families can find encouragement through social workers, adoption agencies, and community organizations that provide information presented with compassion and care. Many also connect birth parents, birth mothers, and adoptive parents to share experiences and build understanding between families. These organizations also assist with adoption finalization by providing financial assistance and guidance through the final legal steps.

LEARN MORE: How To Become a Foster Parent

Some organizations even offer fundraising opportunities to help provide much-needed financial assistance or aid for adoptive and foster parents navigating their journey. Some programs are dedicated to helping birth mothers improve their lives through access to higher education and other resources. Supporting birth parents making an adoption plan is also important, and organizations provide resources to help them through the process. These resources help reduce barriers and allow families to focus on what truly matters—building a strong, loving bond with their child.

Supporting Birth Parents and Families

Many birth mothers who choose adoption find peace knowing that their baby will be welcomed into a loving home where they’ll receive nurturing care. By practicing skin-to-skin contact, adoptive parents are continuing the circle of love that began at birth.

Funding from organizations like Foster Love helps adoptive and foster parents directly, allowing families to focus less on financial challenges and more on building their connection through bonding and love.

By supporting these resources or choosing to donate money, you can make a difference in helping families grow and thrive.

The Lasting Impact of Skin-to-Skin Contact With a Foster Baby

Whether you’re holding your newborn child, comforting a premature baby, or nurturing a foster baby in your care, skin-to-skin contact is one of the simplest and most effective ways to build love and trust.This natural process bridges the gap between the biological parent and adoptive parent, showing that love and attachment are not defined by DNA.

From stabilizing body temperature and heart rate to improving milk production and emotional bonding, the benefits of skin-to-skin contact reach far beyond the early days of adoption. They lay the foundation for a lifetime of closeness, confidence, and security.

During National Adoption Month, grants and scholarships are awarded annually to support adoptive families and birth parents, further strengthening the community and providing a lasting impact.

As you hold your baby close, remember that every moment helps strengthen your relationship. It’s a reminder that love is not only felt; it’s shared through the simple, healing power of touch.