If the child is very young, the child will understand what you want if you extend your arms (put your arms out) and you can say: - Come sit with Daddy / Come sit with Uncle Paulo - Come here (which means "come sit with me". - Come sit on my lap. CurlyBrackets is correct. The terms for holding a baby close to you is called cuddling, but usually you would not use the word 'cuddle' because the child will not know what that means. The action of holding/hugging someone (a child, your girlfriend, your wife) is called cuddling, but it not used when speaking to a child, however it would be OK if you said it to someone with a more advanced English understanding. Hope this helps...

Yes, the word is 'cuddle'. If you say to your daughter 'Come for a cuddle' or 'Do you want a cuddle?' and hold your arms out, she'll soon learn the word. Before long, she'll be asking you for a 'cuddle'. It's a hard word to say, even for native English-speaking children. Little ones often start by saying something like 'tuh-duh', but they soon learn to say it properly. Cuddles are an important thing, so it's an important word!

I mean 'cradle' ..

The word 'cardle' means that you hold someone/something in your hands (and make swinging/swaying movements at the same time). http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/cradle

Thanks Curlybrackets