- Comfort and Security ~ Babies instinctively want to be held. Infants who are worn feel safer and therefore cry less because they are at peace. They can hear your heartbeat and smell you. It is also a great way for dad and baby to bond.
- Breastfeeding ~ Babies can easily be nursed in carriers, allowing mom to do other chores or fun activities without having to find a seat. Babywearing can also help increase milk supply by practicing "skin to skin" because mother's oxytocin will increase with this physical contact.
- Hands Free ~ Allows you to do other chores or take care of other children.
- Social and Cognitive Development ~ When babies are at a level with adults and the rest of the world, they are able to absorb, learn, and grow!
- Portability ~ A wrap can go anywhere, unlike a stroller.
- Decreases risk~ Babywearing decreases the risk of positional plagiocephaly ("flat head syndrome") caused by extended time spent in a car seat and by sleeping on the back (which is recommended to decrease the risk of SIDS).
- Core Strength ~ Babywearing allows baby to develop and strengthen core muscles similar to those strengthened during "tummy time."
- Digestion ~ Wearing baby upright aids in digestion and can help babies suffering from reflux.
- Fun! ~ It's fun to be close and cuddly with your baby and wear beautiful, fashionable wraps!
This is a guest editorial I wrote for Hip and Healthy Kids. It is a great example of the benefits of babywearing, from a scientific perspective!
Born To Be Worn
May 27, 2014
This past winter, I completed my training with The Center for Babywearing Studies to become a Certified Babywearing Educator. It was an amazing experience and I was able to dig even deeper into the fundamentals and benefits of babywearing in order to teach expectant and new parents even more about the wonders of babywearing.
One of the most interesting things I learned was a flashback to biology class.
Why are human babies ‘born to be worn?’ When looking at other animal young, we notice some vast differences:
Altricial young (ex: dogs, cats, some birds) are born with their eyes shut, are born without fur or down, born unable to walk, eat high-fat food to sustain them while mother is gone, and they typically do not cry or pee or poop while mom is gone and they are left alone (to avoid predators).
Precocial young (ex: ducks, horses, cows) are born with their eyes open, born with fur to regulate their body temperature, can very soon follow their mother around and “leave the nest,” eat a lower-fat food because they are with mother and can eat more frequently, and they will cry if separated from their mother.
Human babies don’t fall into the above categories- they are really a mix of both. They are classified as “secondarily altricial.” Human babies are born with their eyes open, they are born without fur to regulate their temperature, eat food low in calories and easy to digest and have small stomachs, they cannot walk at birth, will cry when left alone, will poop or pee whenever!
It is easy to see that human babies are meant to be kept close to mom or caregiver- they need temperature regulation from our body heat, they need to be close to their food source to eat often, they cannot walk as other animals do- so they need to be carried, they are not instinctually meant to be left “in the nest” because unlike dogs or cats, they would cry and “attract predators.”
So, when your baby seems to want to be held for endless hours- do not stress! It is completely normal and your baby is just doing what nature intended. But, our arms can grow weary of carrying baby, so that is why babywearing is so essential. It gives everyone in the new parent-child relationship everything they need! And that equals happier parents and happier babies…and isn’t that what we all want? Babywearing for the WIN!
Sources:
Our Babies, Ourselves by Meredith Small
Center for Babywearing Studies, Joanna McNeilly, president
Born To Be Worn
May 27, 2014
This past winter, I completed my training with The Center for Babywearing Studies to become a Certified Babywearing Educator. It was an amazing experience and I was able to dig even deeper into the fundamentals and benefits of babywearing in order to teach expectant and new parents even more about the wonders of babywearing.
One of the most interesting things I learned was a flashback to biology class.
Why are human babies ‘born to be worn?’ When looking at other animal young, we notice some vast differences:
Altricial young (ex: dogs, cats, some birds) are born with their eyes shut, are born without fur or down, born unable to walk, eat high-fat food to sustain them while mother is gone, and they typically do not cry or pee or poop while mom is gone and they are left alone (to avoid predators).
Precocial young (ex: ducks, horses, cows) are born with their eyes open, born with fur to regulate their body temperature, can very soon follow their mother around and “leave the nest,” eat a lower-fat food because they are with mother and can eat more frequently, and they will cry if separated from their mother.
Human babies don’t fall into the above categories- they are really a mix of both. They are classified as “secondarily altricial.” Human babies are born with their eyes open, they are born without fur to regulate their temperature, eat food low in calories and easy to digest and have small stomachs, they cannot walk at birth, will cry when left alone, will poop or pee whenever!
It is easy to see that human babies are meant to be kept close to mom or caregiver- they need temperature regulation from our body heat, they need to be close to their food source to eat often, they cannot walk as other animals do- so they need to be carried, they are not instinctually meant to be left “in the nest” because unlike dogs or cats, they would cry and “attract predators.”
So, when your baby seems to want to be held for endless hours- do not stress! It is completely normal and your baby is just doing what nature intended. But, our arms can grow weary of carrying baby, so that is why babywearing is so essential. It gives everyone in the new parent-child relationship everything they need! And that equals happier parents and happier babies…and isn’t that what we all want? Babywearing for the WIN!
Sources:
Our Babies, Ourselves by Meredith Small
Center for Babywearing Studies, Joanna McNeilly, president
