There are a myriad of reasons why it is good to carry your baby. It is the traditional and natural instinctive response to a baby that needs to be with you. The physical and psychological benefits from babywearing give children the security and comfort they need to help build their own self-esteem.
You may want to go straight to reading about the baby carriers – the Hug-a-Bub Wrap Sling, the Manduca Baby Carrier, the Manduca Sling or the Hug-a-Bub Ring Sling – to see which you prefer.
Here is a list, in case you need it:
- Babies worn in slings are less clingy and tend to initiate separation much earlier than babies less frequently held.
- As your baby is so close to you, it allows you to respond to “non-crying” signals, increasing your perception of your child’s needs
- Less crying (40-50% less compared to unworn babies) which results in less frustration (for both of you!)
- Babywearing calms your baby, aids good digestion, helps sleep
- Carrying your baby promotes an intimate connection between parent and baby.
- Babywearing gives you freedom, while still allowing your baby to be at the centre of your activity, not necessarily the centre of attention
- Baby carrying provides baby with a sense of security and emotional contentment, helping build their self esteem
- Because they are calmer, Sling-babies use their energy to learn about their world and participate in it, rather than watching it from a rocker, according to Dr Sears
- Baby’s biological need for body contact and motion is met
- Kangaroo care has been proven to to be extremely beneficial for premature babies, helping their development and their survival. A sling re-creates the womb, comforting baby, allowing them to hear mum’s heartbeat, and smell her
- Skin-to-skin contact helps with breastfeeding
- Baby carriers are a great solution to the “arsenic hour” when nothing else seems to calm them, but it still allows you to get the dinner.
- Baby carriers are good for baby’s developing hip joints, putting baby into the correct “frog” position – hips flexed and abducted.
- Baby slings can provide a discrete way to breastfeed
- Babywearing can help decrease the incidence of postnatal depression
- The close physical contact of being in a baby carrier means all the baby’s basic needs are met – food, warmth, love and touch
- Being carried stimulates a baby’s learning, energises their nervous system, improves their circulation
- Babywearing decreases the levels of stress hormones in the baby’s blood stream, leaving your babe relaxed and happy
- Babywearing helps to develop the muscles needed to sit, stand and walk
Check out our baby carriers – the Hug-a-Bub Wrap Sling, the Manduca Baby Carrier or the Hug-a-Bub Ring Sling – to see which you prefer.
Thanks to:
www.hugabub.com
www.babywearingsouthafrica.wordpress.com
The Continuum Concept – Jean Liedloff
Creative Parenting – William Sears, MD