SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) — New parents across Western Massachusetts are putting their babies in what doctors call a “cocoon,” limiting who can hold or kiss their newborns for months at a time.
The practice is creating tension with grandparents who said the restrictions go too far. “We decided to put our baby in a little bit of a bubble for like two months, not letting anyone hold him,” said a local mother who asked to remain anonymous.
The conflict is playing out in homes across the region as new parents set strict boundaries and grandparents push back against what they see as overly cautious rules. “We kind of got like, oh, you know, it was such a normal thing, you know, back in our day. Everybody just kissed the baby on the head or something, but it’s just… It feels different these days,” the anonymous mother said.
The local mother, who had a baby a few months ago, decided to follow guidelines she read about on social media to keep her baby safe. Doctors said those guidelines are not new. Pediatrician Dr. John Kelley from Redwood Pediatrics in East Longmeadow said the practice is called cocooning and has been recommended for years. “The recommendation is, even for the parents, not to kiss the baby directly on the mouth,” he explained. “Have the baby in a cocoon, so that he’s just exposed to the immediate parents for the first couple months of life. It’s not a bad idea.”
Kelley acknowledged the practice can be difficult for extended family members. “Having said that, certainly, grandparents are going to come over and it’s hard to resist that, but I think it’s okay to say ‘We don’t want you kissing the baby on the head. Wash your hands before you pick up the baby. If you’re sick, don’t visit. Wait till you’re better,’” he said.
Kelley believes COVID-19 and social media have made new parents more aware of infectious disease risks. “You know, since COVID, I think people are much more aware of infectious disease and they question and wonder and, you know, that certainly brought it to the forefront of everyone’s mind about, you know, the whole masking thing. That was an experience none of us have ever experienced,” he added.
New parents say they feel unheard when their requests are ignored while they are recovering from childbirth, dealing with a newborn, and trying to follow medical advice that has always existed but that older generations may not have followed. The anonymous mother hopes grandparents can understand her generation’s perspective. “I hope that they understand things from our perspective that we did have to raise…have babies and raise small children through a pandemic and how that’s affected us mentally,” she said.
Kelley suggested a solution through the American Academy of Pediatrics, which has a resource on healthychildren.org. “If you put a newborn into their cocoon, into the search engine, you get a very nice handout that I’m actually looking at and they have a very nice way to nicely recommend people not to, you know, for this cocooning. It’s called ‘A Message for Families and Friends’ and it’s a way to politely say, ‘Please hold off for now until this baby has a mature immune system,’” he noted.
The practice is not about who is right or wrong. Rather, it’s about keeping babies safe while keeping families together.
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