As per my previous post, this offering is all about the benefits of 'baby wearing', physical and emotional, for baby and wearer. There has been a great deal of study done on the benefits of baby carriers of all descriptions and their impact on the health of the babies they carry and it is only fairly recently that 'baby wearing' has gained the recognition and medical understanding it deserves. Infants have been held this way for centuries - see this post for some recent historical 'baby wearing' photographs.
I have provided some links below that are interesting and informative reading for anyone wishing to purchase a sling or carrier, people interested in the 'baby wearing' concept or for those just researching their baby carrying choices. I will post next time about carrier safety (this post will be far too long otherwise!)
There is a multitude of reasons why ‘baby wearing’ is good for all concerned...
Emotional stability: being tucked up next to you, feeling your heartbeat and hearing your breathing rhythms, may remind your baby of his time inside your womb. He would have been aware of both of these; and the same applies to the closed surroundings of a carrier, much like being held in your arms - it is similar to the confined feeling he would have had inside you. Again, your walking movements, the rise and fall of your steps, the sway of your body will all soothe and calm him – he knows you are right beside him and his confidence in you will shape him into a calm, placated child with noticeably less crying episodes and less stress for you both.
I have provided some links below that are interesting and informative reading for anyone wishing to purchase a sling or carrier, people interested in the 'baby wearing' concept or for those just researching their baby carrying choices. I will post next time about carrier safety (this post will be far too long otherwise!)
There is a multitude of reasons why ‘baby wearing’ is good for all concerned...
Emotional stability: being tucked up next to you, feeling your heartbeat and hearing your breathing rhythms, may remind your baby of his time inside your womb. He would have been aware of both of these; and the same applies to the closed surroundings of a carrier, much like being held in your arms - it is similar to the confined feeling he would have had inside you. Again, your walking movements, the rise and fall of your steps, the sway of your body will all soothe and calm him – he knows you are right beside him and his confidence in you will shape him into a calm, placated child with noticeably less crying episodes and less stress for you both.
Bonding with others: a father or other care giver who does not have, or is continuing to build a natural bond with your baby, will benefit greatly from having him close at all times. The baby will get used to the touch and smell of others and will learn to trust that he will be cared for and his needs met.
Child development and learning: the capacity for learning of a child who is carried may be larger than that of a baby laid on his back at home or when out in a pram. There is a huge amount of research on the web suggesting that babies carried high up and who spend much of the day content and quiet or alternatively, interacted with, have a wider range of cognitive skills. There are too many papers to link to individually, but search for ‘optimal learning state’, ‘quiet alertness’ and ‘infant cognitive development’ and you’ll find relevant papers and information.
Crying: this research paper by Michael L. Commons, Harvard Medical School and Patrice M. Miller, Harvard Medical School and Salem State College shows a marked difference in the amount of crying exhibited by babies of American mothers and those of the Gusii of Kenya. The children of the Kenyan mothers were far less stressed and prone to crying because their needs were responded to as quickly as possible – the babies were carried or held by the mothers and were frequently touched for comfort.
Breastfeeding and pacifying: with practice, it is more than possible to breastfeed your baby in a carrier or sling and the infant can use your nipple as a comfort pacifier or dummy.
Hands-free capabilities: the other obvious benefit is the hands-free capabilities carriers afford in your day to day life. If you have an unsettled child, it can be very difficult to leave him crying to attend to things that need doing. It would be fantastic if the house cleaned itself, if food was prepared by magic and errands outside the home were carried out for you, but we all know this just won't happen! ‘Baby-wearing’ has major emotional benefits but we mustn’t forget having a baby to care for turns some things into mammoth tasks. Just having your hands free gives you much more scope for being organised!
Links:
Kangaroo Mother Care, NHS, UK 'Compared with conventional care, KMC was found to reduce severe illness, infection, breastfeeding problems, and maternal dissatisfaction with method of care and improve some outcomes of mother-baby bonding.'
Links:
Kangaroo Mother Care, NHS, UK 'Compared with conventional care, KMC was found to reduce severe illness, infection, breastfeeding problems, and maternal dissatisfaction with method of care and improve some outcomes of mother-baby bonding.'
'Babywearing' article in Birth and Beyond, Birthresourcecentre
http://www.birthresourcecentre.org.uk/pdf/birthandbeyond27.pdf
Emotional Learning in Infants: A Cross-Cultural Examination, Michael L. Commons, Harvard Medical School & Patrice M. Miller, Harvard Medical School and Salem State College
http://www.dareassociation.org/Papers/AAAS%20Interviews.pdf
Emotional Learning in Infants: A Cross-Cultural Examination, Michael L. Commons, Harvard Medical School & Patrice M. Miller, Harvard Medical School and Salem State College
http://www.dareassociation.org/Papers/AAAS%20Interviews.pdf
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