Busy celebrities like Gwen Stefani and Giselle Bundchen are no strangers to baby wearing, and that’s a great thing for all parents to consider as it keeps your baby content while you get on with your life!
New mums and dads are often bombarded by their precious ones needing all of their time, making it tricky to get much else done. As loving parents they want nothing but their baby’s happiness and safety. But sometimes this seems like a hard, tiring, and frustrating task.
For mothers this is mentally, physically, and emotionally draining, especially when she has to run around trying to manage a house hold or after work when all she needs is time to kick up her heels for just an hour.
This is why baby wearing has become all the rage. Imagine cooking dinner during the “arsenic hour” while soothing your baby at the same time; while you tend to your favorite garden, while you’re doing chores, while you socialise, and even when you are dancing about; and all this while your baby is comfortably resting on your chest.
Baby wearing means that you can go about your life, hands free while keeping your baby close and happy, and as an extra bonus this mode of ‘transport’ actually provides a stimulating learning environment for your baby.
But most important of all, it seals the bond between mother, father, and child for years to come.
Benefits of wearing your baby:
- Babies cry less. Research has shown that babies who are carried cry (on average) 43% less overall and 54% less during the evening hours. In cultures where babies are carried almost continuously, babies cry much less than those in non-carrying cultures.
- Good for baby’s mental development. Babies spend more time in a “quiet, alert state” when carried – the ideal state for learning. Their senses are stimulated while being carried (yet there is a place to retreat too). When carried, your baby sees the world from where you do, instead of the ceiling above his crib or people’s knees from a stroller. And the extra stimulation benefits brain development.
- Good for baby’s emotional development. Babies are quickly able to develop a sense of security and trust when they are carried. They are more likely to be securely attached to their care-giver/s and often become independent at an earlier age.
- Good for baby’s physical development. By being so close to your body’s rhythms, your newborn “gets in rhythm” much more quickly. Your heartbeat, breathing, voice and warmth are all familiar. Research has shown how this helps newborns (especially premature babies) to adapt to life outside the womb.
- Good for babies whose mums are depressed. Babies who are not held need more verbal interaction and eye contact, just to be reassured that you’re there. Carrying your baby is a great way to connect with her (and provide stimulation too) without the “burden” of having to interact. Of course your baby is “right there” to enjoy whenever you feel like snuggling, kissing or talking. It’s great for other people who look after your baby.
And as an added bonus, partners who work away from home, relatives and babysitters all have a ready way of connecting with and soothing your baby when they wear him/her too!
Check out local brand Tiny Tapir that carry some really cute and fashion forward baby wrapping pieces that not only promotes natural parenting techniques, but also eco-friendly products for you and baby!
Source: Wrap Your Baby
