Our top 5 reasons to wear your baby
Our top 5 reasons to wear your baby
This week is European Babywearing week. To celebrate, we are giving you our top 5 reasons to babywear.
Babywearing has been around for centuries, used by our ancestors to keep little ones close while working the fields or carrying out chores. But more recently it's viewed as something only for Mums who use cloth nappies and eat vegan, hemp cookies. Reality is, it's for everyone and is an affordable, easy, safe and a very beneficial way to carry your baby/babies as well as having a huge positive impact on both baby and Parent/Caregiver.
Fathers in a Welsh mining village, in the 1930’s wearing their baby’s in traditional nursing shawls
So here's our top 5 reasons to wear your baby.
It supports good sleep
We thought this might be one to get your attention! Lets face it, we would all love more sleep and settled babies at night. Regular close skin contact (including wearing your baby in a wrap, sling or buckle carrier) is believed to help babies regulate their circadian rhythms and distinguish the difference between night and day sleep. Also having better and more restful daytime sleeps, can impact your babies ability to sleep at night too. Lets face it, you are going to be cuddling and rocking them to sleep at night anyway.
As parents of older kids, we're here to say, these days don’t last forever and as someone with a 7 year old, I wish I could go back and have cuddled and swayed her to sleep more. Nothing lasts forever…good or bad. So having the support of wearing them and giving them settled sleep in the day, can lead to sleeping more soundly at night. If you have attended our classes you will know of the magic sleepy dust that is the DLAM class. Being rocked to sleep, whilst being held close is a sure fire way to help your little one fall into slumber. So grab your sling and get moving…walk, sway or dance your baby to sleep.
Baby sleeping in Dance Like a Mother Class. Carrier: Tula Free to Grow
2. It reduces crying
A study and trial carried out in 1986 hypothesized that this "normal" crying could be reduced by supplemental carrying, that is, increased carrying throughout the day in addition to that which occurs during feeding and in response to crying. In a randomized controlled trial, 99 mother-infant pairs were assigned to an increased carrying or control group. At the time of peak crying (6 weeks of age), infants who received supplemental carrying cried and fussed 43% less overall, and 51% less during the evening hours (4 PM to midnight). Similar but smaller decreases occurred at 4, 8, and 12 weeks of age. Decreased crying and fussing were associated with increased contentment and feeding frequency but no change in feeding duration or sleep. They concluded that supplemental carrying modified "normal" crying by reducing the duration and altering the typical pattern of crying and fussing in the first 3 months of life.
Again people are often amazed at how content and quiet babies are in class. It is normal for babies to fuss and cry when first being put into a carrier or sling. Also If they are tired, it can take a bit of time for them to relax and fall asleep. The more relaxed you can be whilst fitting it, the quicker they should settle. Again pair it with movement and it will help them settle even quicker. If you have a well fitted carrier/wrap/sling, have sought advice on how to wear correctly and your baby doesn't settle within 5-10 minutes, something else could be affecting it. Speak to a babywearing trained professional, GP or Osteopath to look at reasons why this may be occurring.
(British Journal of General Practice - Clinical Trail Increased carrying reduces infant crying: U A Hunziker & R G Barr)
Settled calm babies, being worn in class
3. Increases your bond with your baby
That fantastic Love hormone; oxytocin is released every time we hug someone. It's been shown in studies to be vital for creating a strong bond between Mother and baby. "Oxytocin is associated with the establishment and quality of maternal behavior in animal models...studies found significant and strong associations between levels or patterns of oxytocin and aspects of mother-infant relations or attachment...Oxytocin appears to be of crucial importance for understanding mother-infant relationships. (British Journal of General Practice - Review Harv Rev Psychiatry) And not just Mothers.
I know from my own personal experience and talking to many other parents how important it has been for Fathers, Partners and other relatives to bond with their baby too. It also allows caregivers to be more responsive to their babies needs and creates a sense of being more in tune with them. Parents are able to notice subtle changes in their babies behavior’s and mood and so in turn creates a sense of trust and attachment.
There are a lot of misconceptions around attachment and babywearing, in that it will make your baby ‘clingy’. Firstly can we totally do away with this word please? Babies are born vulnerable and need their caregiver to survive and feel safe. Secure attachment creates babies who feel safe and secure and in turn as they get older, feel more able to be independent and venture away from their caregiver to safely explore the world around them. "Attachment allows children the ‘secure base’ necessary to explore, learn and relate, and the wellbeing, motivation, and opportunity to do so. It is important for safety, stress regulation, adaptability, and resilience" (British Journal of General Practice - 2. Bowlby J. Attachment and loss. London: Hogarth Press; 1969)
4. Helps baby’s development
Babywearing helps to regulate your baby's temperature, heart and respiratory rates. Plus supports their emotional and physical growth. This can be especially useful for premature babies where the use of “kangaroo care” in NICU is fairly common or for children who are unwell, teething or have a disability. Being worn also helps with good alignment of the spine and hips. The hip dysplasia association recommends babies are worn facing inward (towards parent) for the first 6 months of their life, to help with the development of hips and spine.
It allows babies to retreat from an overwhelming world and snuggle into their parent’s body for respite when needed. Babies are able to feel your heartbeat and relax, allowing them to look at the world around them, in a secure and safe environment. It is believed to encourage sociability and language development; being able to hear their parent’s voice close up and watch their facial expressions and interactions with the world. Also observing other people from a higher vantage point is beneficial. Aids formation of family relationships (Dad, Partner, Grandparents etc).
5. Helps your (and your Partners) mental health
Parenting is hard at the best of times. Add to that a fussy and unsettled baby and it's a recipe for us to start to feel not so great with our mental health. Anything we can do to make our lives easier is a bonus. Being able to have a settled baby, close to you whilst having your hands free can be a god send. Whether it's to get out in nature (walking the dog is a big one!), get on with chores or come join us for a dance. It also allows your partner or relatives to take the baby and give you some rest bite, plus extra bonding time for them too.
That bloody amazing hormone oxytocin, plays a wonderful part in making us feel happier too. It can also help with those of us who are breastfeeding, by increasing milk supply and being able to respond to your baby quicker. And if you've ever had trouble breastfeeding, you will know how hard this too can be on your mental health. It's been shown to increase confidence in the parent, by allowing you to feel more in tune with your baby. We're all winging it! But this helps us feel that bit more in control.
We could literally talk about the positive impact and benefits of babywearing all day! But we hope these top 5 will encourage you to try babywearing or wear your little one more. If you would like more advice on how to wear your baby safely, please check out our FAQ’s HERE and our other blogs on babywearing. We are also always here to help. Drop us a DM and we are happy to advise, if you attend classes we are able to also show you the best carrier options for you and how to wear your baby to ensure you both feel safe and happy.