I believe in the benefits of babywearing. I believe that the sling is better than the playpen, the wrap is better than the exersaucer, and the pouch is better than letting the baby fuss on the floor while I try to get something (anything!) accomplished.
Having said that, I want to state that we do have a walker (same basic concept as an exersaucer) and we do use it for Benjamin. There are times (i.e., dinner) when babywearing is not the best option. I have pictures of a burnt baby finger from an unfortunate dinner experience where he grabbed some hot cheese. I’d rather keep him far from hot food for the time being.
The benefits of babywearing are so astounding that they honestly make me feel a little guilty that I don’t wear my baby more often.
- Increased progesterone in the mother
The more contact a mother has with her baby, the more progesterone her body produces. This hormone is responsible for more intimate maternal bonding. It also helps regulate a mother’s milk, leading to easier breastfeeding. It has even been found to reduce chances of postpartum depression. - Baby cries less.
A study quoted on Dr. Sear’s site stated crying was reduced by 43% when the babies were worn three extra hours every day. Also on his site, he mentions the difference between the expectations of babies in our culture compared to other cultures:We have been led to believe that it is “normal” for babies to cry a lot, but in other cultures this is not accepted as the norm. In these cultures, babies are normally “up” in arms and are put down only to sleep – next to the mother. When the parent must attend to her own needs, the baby is in someone else’s arms.
There is so much I appreciate about this paragraph. It not only supports co-sleeping (another What I Believe post yet to come), it also supports close-knit family support, which is sorely lacking in this culture where jobs tear families apart and leave mothers to raise their children alone. I firmly believe God’s intention for the family was for the grandmother to play the vital role as an “extra pair of arms” when the mother needs a break! Instead of a television, a mechanical swing, or some light-up musical toy, the child would have a loving Grandma-embrace. *Sigh*
- Baby learns more.
Instead of wasting valuable time and energy crying out for attention, baby is comfortable and safe in the arms of a loved one, wide-eyed and curious about his new surroundings. Instead of playing with the same toy on the ground, a baby in a sling has a constantly changing environment. Instead of watching mindless entertainment on the television, the baby is with his mother or father learning how to do various routines such as laundry, baking (just not while handling sharp and hot objects!!), cleaning, and playing with older children.Also, being held in a sling can enhance baby’s language development. He is at eye and voice level and therefore is involved in his mother’s or father’s conversations. He learns the all-important skill of listening intently (a long lost skill in so many children) at a young age. - Baby is more organized.
No, the baby will not clean the clutter off your desk.A newborn baby is in search of patterns, normalcy, and regulation. Consider the shock a baby goes through in changing environments from the warm, comfortable, safe womb to the wide open, often cold and scary world. The missing movement of his mother walking and the missing sound of her heart beating leads to a stressful adjustment. The mother can make the transition easier by wearing her baby. He is still outside the womb, but he gets to hear her heart beating as he lays his head against her chest. He gets to fall asleep to the gentle swaying as she walks. From Dr. Sears again:While there is a variety of child-rearing theories, attachment researchers all agree on one thing: In order for a baby’s emotional, intellectual, and physiological systems to function optimally, the continued presence of the mother, as during babywearing, is a necessary regulatory influence.
- The parent is free to do other chores and spend time with older children.
When you have a fussy infant, you most likely find yourself neglecting household chores or even older siblings. With a sling or wrap, a mother can be productive and play with her other children, all while keeping her baby content and quiet. - The mother can discreetly nurse.
While in the sling, baby has easy access to all he needs – warmth, security, and food. I once nursed Olivia in the sling while picking out a pumpkin at a pumpkin patch! No one was the wiser… And having such easy access to breastfeeding encourages feeding on demand, which benefits a mother’s milk supply, which in turn benefits baby’s growth and development and overall happiness!
Babywearing is even being used by 82% of the neonatal intensive care units in the United States. It is called Kangaroo Care and it is replacing incubators and formula and decreasing preemie morbidity rates around the world. Instead of separating premature babies from their mothers, more doctors are using Kangaroo Care, which promotes skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby and exclusive breastfeeding. Kangaroo Care helps to regulate the baby’s temperature, breathing, and heart rate. Infants who experience Kangaroo Care also have longer periods of sleep, better weight gain, less crying, and earlier hospital discharges. Mothers who use this method notice improved breastfeeding efforts. So my benefit #7 would be: It saves premature babies’ lives.
So suffice it to say, I am in love with my sling. I heart my moby wrap.
I wore my firstborn for most of her first year of life – because she demanded it. She was (is) a high-need baby. She would not settle for tummy-time. She hated the bouncer and detested the swing. The only time she was happy was when she was nursing or being held. The only way The Daddy could put her to sleep was if he was wearing the sling and dancing to Jack Johnson. The sling was an invaluable tool for us. We didn’t so much do it for her increased I.Q. or “organization.” We did it for our own sanity.
Benjamin (our 5 month old) is in the sling whenever we go grocery shopping. Have you tried grocery shopping with a 2 year old and an infant? Where do you put the toddler? In the cart with the groceries? Where do you put the infant? In the carseat on the front of the cart? That is dangerous. I have had the carseat almost tip completely out of the cart. I don’t do that anymore. The toddler is buckled into the seat and the baby is in the sling. He watches as much as he can before sleep overcomes him. But he has never once cried in the grocery store. (The toddler is another story).
Are there any drawbacks to babywearing? Sure.
If you are wearing your sling or wrap improperly, you will get a sore back and/or shoulder. To prevent soreness, I suggest the moby wrap for longer usage and the maya wrap sling for a quick solution to a cranky baby when you’re out and about. The moby wrap goes over both shoulders and is much more comfortable, however, it takes up more room in the diaper bag and is more complicated to put on. The sling is very easy to use (once you’re used to it), takes very little room in the diaper bag, but doesn’t distribute the weight quite as evenly. I find that it is good for up to an hour or so before I need to take it off (or make The Daddy wear it). I have never tried the pouch, but it is the same basic concept as the sling except it is a continuous loop of fabric, making it the easiest to put on and operate, but less flexible in that it is not one-size-fits-all and it limits the different positions your baby can be in.
There are some things that you just tend to avoid doing while wearing your baby. I avoid anything that involves bending over such as loading and unloading the dishwasher, and picking toys up off the floor. Babywearing is better for activities like vacuuming, hanging laundry, and and taking siblings to the park. On the other hand, if you do need to get something off the floor while wearing your baby, it is best to bend at the knees – which is a great thigh work out. Unfortunately, I have perfected the ability to pick just about everything up off the floor with my toes. My thighs are woefully neglected.
*And now for the Giveaway*: Head on over to Joanna’s at Keeping Feet and leave a comment on this post for your chance to win your very own pouch from Slinglings.com!
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What do you believe?
If you have created your own What I Believe post, please leave a link for it in the comment section along with a brief summary. Feel free to use my scrolly icon. Make sure you link back to me so your readers can enjoy the wide spectrum of What I Believe posts sure to magically appear over the next 24 hours. And if you want to participate but don’t have anything prepared yet, don’t worry. There will be many more What I Believe posts. And I always give several days notice before I post them. So just be watching!
So here’s my WIB part one of discipline. I can’t wait to get back from camping and read what everyone else believes. I have no clue how to do a link in a comment so here’s the messy version.
http://mccurdygirl29.blogspot.com/2007/08/what-i-believe-about-discipline-part-1.html
I also think that wrapping a child is a good idea (even though I dont have kids).
However, I also believe that children need to be able to be comfortable with having their mother apart from then at least for a short amount of time (10 min-20 min). A child cannot always be held by the mother, and also needs time to do some exploration on their own. Always wearing the child may inhibit them from progressing developmentally to the stages of sitting, crawling, walking, etc, if the child never gets time on their own. I would assume that having a child that spends just as much time out of the sling as in it may also be more comfortable when it comes to separation anxieties, as the mother may sometimes need to be away from the child in certain situations.
Just my $.02. Like I said, I don’t have kids but worked with newborns and infants for 5 years.
Bonnie –
Benjamin spends plenty of time exploring on the floor. I meant to add that last night, but it was getting late! It all depends on the disposition of your child, really. Olivia was in the sling a lot more, until she learned to walk and then she was Little Miss Independent.
Studies have actually shown the babies worn in the sling are more secure and have less separation anxiety and more independence – contrary to what you would think, huh. They learn from an early age that they can trust you to always be there for them.
Thanks for your two cents, though!
With my first child (now 17 months) I didn’t have a sling. But I did have one of those front pack carriers and I used it ALL THE TIME. And it wasn’t for all the other added benefits. It was because that was the ONLY thing that would get her to stop crying. I wore it all around the house doing chores, etc. I also used it whenever we went out anywhere.
Now that Baby #2 is on the way, I’ll be ready to use a carrier even more this time. Not only will I still have chores, etc to do, but I will also be running around after my toddler. I really can’t even imagine not using a carrier.
Kookaburra –
Just one word –
“Exactly”
There are some days I don’t know what I would do without it! Not for their benefit – for mine!
I totally agree! I can see where Bonnie is coming from in the perspective of someone who watches children. It is frustrating when a child can’t handle their parents dropping them off, especially if it’s on a regular basis. I think a misconception happens when people don’t understand the different kinds of attachment. My two kids had a lot of attachment including babywearing and co-sleeping and actually are some of the EASIEST kids to leave at church nursery or for my sister to babysit. I’ve found that kids that aren’t held as much and have to cry themselves to sleep, etc. are some of the MOST fearful to be left anywhere. I think our culture tells us they just need to “get used to” being left but it’s really the other way around. They are so used to not having their needs met that they are fearful in unknown situations. From my experience when a kid is securely attached they trust their needs will always be met so they don’t waste time worrying about it, they just run in to play where the fun is!
I’ve never tried a sling, but I did use a front carrier and it really hurt my back. I’m thinking of getting an Ergo for this one.
I do agree with not letting the baby cry. I could never let my baby cry. That is the way they communicate. I put my babies in electric swings and walkers and all those gadgets, but if the cried they got picked up and the house wouldn’t get cleaned that day. I’m with co-sleeping, too…if the baby needs it. My first needed it (probably because he was so early), but my second didn’t mind being swaddled and put in the bassinet next to my bed.
I think all moms need to listen to what their particular child needs and wants. Not all babies are the same. It will save a lot of stress if the mom just “goes along” with her own baby. I think moms have a “sixth sense” about their own children. They know them the best.
I did an “What I Believe” post on frugality. Here is the link:
http://westernwarmth.blogspot.com/2007/08/frugal-friday-what-are-your-reasons.html
My what I believe post
http://bonniembk.blogspot.com/2007/08/what-i-believe-post-1.html
My daughter was ‘wearing” her pet rabbit in the pocket of her sweatshirt today. Maybe she’ll wear her children when she has them. I hope so. She’s a nurturer.
Just found your blog and how appropriate for me! I have a 7 week old and have been using a sling for the past 3-4 weeks. I ordered The Ultimate Baby Sling though. I like it okay, but was wondering if you have any opinions of it. I’m thinkin’ maybe I shoulda ordered a Maya. sigh.
Michelle,
I have an ultimate Baby wrap, it was awesome for my daughter when she was little (she was 5.5 weeks early and less than 5 lbs). It stayed in place and was very comfortable, my husband even used it once or twice. I didn’t use it for a few months just because my daughter wasn’t a really needy baby, she did well on the floor, but then when i tried to put her in it she bounced so much and kept sliding down. I don’t ever use it anymore because no matter how hard i tried I couldn’t get it to stay put once she weighed over 10lbs. Maybe if you get it real tight it would work. If i had to do it again I’d probably get a Maya.
I have to admit, I nursed my daughter in her wrap while walking down the beach, no one had a clue! That is one great advantage of the wrap, it covers so much of you I think you could be without a shirt and no one would know.
I Googled the Ultimate Baby Wrap and it looks identical to the Moby Wrap. I use that with my 16 lb 5 month old and don’t have a problem. A friend made this wrap for me, so maybe it’s a different material? I got instructions on how to wear it from http://www.mobywrap.com; maybe they are different than the instructions you get from the Ultimate Baby Wrap site?
He is very secure to my body – more so than the sling since it wraps around my upper and lower torso – on both sides. The material my friend used is a bit stretchy, but that seems to only add comfort and doesn’t make it any less stable.
My only complaint with the Moby is that I can’t quite seem to put it on without it touching the floor (and when I go grocery shopping, I don’t want it brushing the Wal-Mart parking lot!)
I have a wrap but I don’t use it very often. Both my daughters are Angel children (baby whisperer types) and so are perfectly content laying on the floor or sitting in the exersaucer. (Walkers are banned here in Canada.) If they were more grumpty/touchy children I might wear them more often.
One thing I don’t get is if I”m wearing my baby, how can I spend time with my other child? She likes to sit in my lap and I can’t do that if the baby is in the wrap. I also don’t wear it because both my girls are little heaters and I’d die of heat stroke if I wore them all the time. But I do hold them as often as possible, carry them from room to room sometimes and I don’t let them cry.
I’m trying to think of a what i believe post. If I think of something I’ll come back and link to it. If not, maybe I’ll participate next time.
Okay I did it: http://callistasramblings.blogspot.com/2007/09/what-i-believe-children-and-tv.html
Callista – thanks for your WIB post!
As for how to play with your other child while wearing your baby:
My little girl is quite mobile. Not as in able to walk, but as in unable to sit! So I often take her to the park with Baby Brother in the sling. It’s the only way I can keep both safe at the same time!
Olivia isn’t much of a lap-sitter. But I suppose the sling would still come in handy if you were to put your baby in it, put your toddler in your lap, and then you would have hands free to turn the pages of a book. If you weren’t reading a book, though, you wouldn’t really need the sling, I suppose.
And as for the heatstroke – do you not have air conditioning? I wouldn’t want to wear my baby all the time either if I didn’t have air conditioning! But it is a great way to keep him warm in the cooler months – for a hike in the brisk autumn weather for example.