What is Baby Wearing?
Baby wearing is a term that simple means carrying your baby on your body, while allowing your hands to be free. There are many baby wearing devices on the market, such as slings, wraps, front packs and backpacks.
Why should I wear my baby?
Baby wearing is an excellent alternative to using the multitude of containers, especially when you are on the move. Wearing your baby reduces the pressure on their heads (see above) that other containers do, which reduces their risk of plagiocephaly.
Baby wearing is not just to keep the baby safe or to allow caregivers the ability to move and get things done while caring for their baby. There are many benefits to wearing your baby that have a direct positive impact on a child’s development.
While humans may have evolved and consider ourselves the top of the chain, we are still mammals, with the same basic bodily needs. If you consider this fact, all mammals carry or wear their babies. Ok, so the squirrel in the back yard doesn’t have a fancy stroller, there is still a biological need for human babies to be cuddled and carried. Along these lines, humans have been wearing their babies for hundreds of years, and continue through multiple cultures around the world.
If we go back to where we addressed “Developmental Milestones”, “Sensory Processing”, and “Tummy Time”, you will read that the human body needs a variety of sensory and environmental stimuli to develop. Wearing your baby helps to provide a plethora of experiences to your baby while keeping them safe. Let’s break it down:
SENSORY:
By wearing your baby, your baby experiences the warmth and touch of your body. Depending on the type of carrier your choice, they may also be swaddled, which is one of the recommended techniques for calming a baby. Additionally, as you move through your environment, your baby is experiencing the various sensory stimuli that you may not even be noticing, but to a baby subtle changes in light, smells, and temperature are being experienced.
GROSS MOTOR:
As you move, so does your baby. Every turn, twist, and bending over is felt by your baby. The change in the gravitation forces will help your baby not only register the vestibular changes, but also help to strengthen their head and neck muscles.
FINE MOTOR:
Control of the small muscles in the eyes is considered a fine motor skill. As you wear your baby, the new visual stimulation and changes in direction and environments will help to strengthen your baby’s visual acuity. Also, most babies will reach up to touch their parents and engage in eye contact when being held.
SPEECH:
It appears to be a normal and natural phenomenon that when a caregiver is wearing their baby, they talk more to the baby, and their baby vocally engages more with the caregiver. This alone stimulates and helps with speech development. But in addition, as caregivers wear their babies, especially in public, they are bound to socially engage with others, while your baby is still close to you and learning.
SOCIAL EMOTIONAL:
Research has shown that babies who were worn, have a higher sense of self-esteem, a closer bond to their caregivers and are more independent later in life. Think about it, one of the first emotional building blocks is the feeling of safety in your environment. And where will a baby feel safer than in your arms?
When and How to wear your baby?
While Children’s Therapy Network highly recommends wearing your baby, keep in mind that your baby still needs to move and explore on their own. A baby carrier is still considered a “container”. Make sure your baby is getting plenty of Tummy Time when you are not on the move.
Research before you buy: The first thing to consider when considering a baby carrier, is the position of the legs. We recommend slings or swaddles, although understand there are some excellent front and back packs on the market. Just as you would with any baby device, check reviews and consumer input before buying.
For more information on Developmental milestones click here
For more information on Sensory Processing click here
For more information on Tummy Time click here