Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Baby Wearing~ Ancient Tradition With Modern Benefits





Photo credit Lori Brian Photography
Women throughout history have traditionally practiced babywearing for many reasons. In today's society of busy lifestyles the benefits are still relevant.  

Benefits of Babywearing
  • Hands are free to do daily tasks while still keeping baby close.

A common complaint for parents of infants is that mom is not able to go about her daily chores or get anything done because baby always wants to be held or is unhappy being left alone for long.  Mom is left with the option to either stop what she is doing and pick baby up or leave him to cry, hoping that he will eventually learn that this will not get him anywhere and he will learn to be content alone.  In both scenarios someone is left feeling resentful or disappointed.  Babywearing can solve this problem reducing stress and allowing everyone to get what they need.



  • Babies cry less and are more content.
When a baby or child is in direct contact with their caregiver the non-verbal and verbal communication between both is strengthened, a baby's subtle cues are more easily read leading to less crying and a happier baby. 

"In a study published in the journal Pediatrics, researchers found that baby wearing for three hours a day reduced infant crying by 43 percent overall and 54 percent during evening hours. " Hunziker UA, Garr RG. (1986) Increased carrying reduces infant crying: A random-ized controlled trial. Pediatrics 77:641-648
  • Promotes bonding between dad & baby!
    Nothing is more heart melting than seeing an involved father wearing his child! Dads like to feel included when it comes to taking care of the baby. Letting dad wear the little one from time to time will help promote bonding. Babywearing is not gender specific so  take a load off and let dad have a try!

    Eli sleeping contently on his dad's chest

     

  • Contributes to breastfeeding, making it more convenient and successful.
Breast feeding can be full of challenges and rewards, weather you have chosen to breast feed or bottle feed babywearing can greatly improve the closeness and ease of feeding.  While babywearing you are already in an ideal position for baby to latch and be supported during feeding time.  I am constantly seeing parents prop bottles up in front of their infant (no judgment here, I was guilty of the same thing) because hands-free is something moms have a need for sometimes.  This situation increases the distance and disconnect between a mother and her child, the nurturing that comes with the closeness of feeding time is gone.



  • Helps parents of special needs children.

“Babywearing is holding or carrying a baby/young child using a cloth baby carrier.”¹ At the very basic level, babywearing has the potential to fulfill a child’s need for touch. Meeting this need allows the child to actively take on stressful challenges with greater ease, as often occurs for children with special needs. Babywearing provides correct physical alignment of the hip and spine for optimal development. It improves vestibular system activation and body awareness due to continual motion of the caregiver. It allows for positioning free of pressure on the soft cranium.  Babywearing is helpful in promoting general wellness by allowing the child to be in an upright position with improved respiration. Moreover, babywearing allows children with decreased immunity to remain within the caregiver’s personal space and away from harmful germs. Lastly, babywearing offers appropriate positioning for socialization and learning communicative cues. ~ Lift Me Up 
 Lift Me Up is a non-profit program dedicated to providing ergonomic babywearing carriers to families who have children with special needs. http://www.babywearingtothrive.org/



There are a lot of amazing benefits to babywearing that I haven't touched on, these are just a few!  For more information and support you can visit Babywearing International , this is a wonderful resource for families new to babywearing.  They even have a forum full of questions and answers where you can connect with others in your community.





If you have decided to give babywearing a try, there are many carrier options for every budget and style!
Here are some of our favorites~

  • The Nuroo short sleeve babywearing top, perfect for newborns who still need skin-to-skin contact.

Nuroo

  • The Moby wrap which is versatile and comes in several options.

  • Woven wraps, these are long strips of woven fabric that are wrapped and then secured with knots- you can find these handmade on various sites.  Emmeline Textiles has beautiful hand woven wraps.
Emmeline Textiles

  • The Je port mon bebe, French design cotton-spandex baby carriers that come in several styles perfect for front, side, or back wearing.

  • The Baby Hawk Mei Tai's (Asian Baby Carriers) which are adopted from a Chinese-inspired idea that makes holding your little one on your front, back or hip safe and comfortable. This sling is easy and quick to put on or take off.

  • Ring slings or double pouch slings can come in cotton or linen and are used without the need to tie, these slings are better for front carrying infants up to 35lbs.




 A few of our Doulas rocking their favorite baby carriers

Kristin

Erica
Amanda




    In the end, all mothers want to nurture and raise up their child to the best of their ability.  We all have to find our way and what parenting style is best for us.  I end this blog taking a moment to send my love to all the mommas out their who are searching for wise and gentile ways to bring up their little ones.  You are beautiful and so are your children.

















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