"You can't spoil her right now"

"Hold your baby. You can't spoil her at this point."

I keep hearing this sentence and I couldn't figure out why this bothered me so much. Then, at Little Miss' one-month appointment, when I heard the pediatrician said it, it dawned on me: You can never spoil your baby by holding her, PERIOD.

To me, spoiling a child refers to materialistic things. Spoiling your baby with affection, love, touch, and closeness? That's something you're supposed to do, always. The sentence doesn't make sense; it implies that there's a stop point. Should I stop holding her after a certain point? Should I stop giving her my love and attention once she's of a certain age? No, that's ridiculous!

I, as a parent, must shower her with all the holding, love, and attention that she wants. This is the only way I can raise a secure, strong, emotionally-stable woman. I was showered with hugs and kisses by mother when I was a baby. (In fact, my mother still showers me hugs and kisses and I'm almost 30 years old!) We, as human beings, need love and affection. Countless studies have shown that being touched, hugged, and socialized improves one's health. Babies are, after all, tiny human beings.

I find the whole "spoiling" a child with basic human needs ridiculous. If I was buying my child diamond rings for her tiny little fingers, then perhaps I'm spoiling her. Loving her is not spoiling her.