What are the benefits of baby carriers? With so many baby gadgets to hold your baby, why use something that keeps your baby strapped to you?
Your baby wants to be close to you – many moms find that their new baby doesn't want to be put down! Wearing your baby in a baby carrier lets you have your hands free and your baby close to you 🙂
Mama is Home
You worked hard to have a healthy pregnancy and birth for your baby. Now you want to stay connected and build a strong bond.
Babywearing keeps your baby close to your heart – literally. You pick up on everything that's going on with your baby and stay in-tune with his cues.
Your baby is secure. As a newborn he's safe and sheltered. The world can be a noisy, overwhelming place. Being in the baby sling or carrier gives your infant a prime view of the world while still being attached to you.
As your baby grows, he observes and interacts with the world from the carrier – a place where he feels totally secure.
I Want to Get Something Done!
You don't want to put your baby down (or your baby protests being put down!). But you do want to get some work done. With your child in a baby carrier you can go about your daily tasks. Wash dishes or put away the laundry – or paint a picture, take a walk, or something else you love 😉
There are even times when you can wear your baby at work! Women from hairdressers to college professors have been able to wear their babies while they are working.
Some baby carriers let you carry older infants on your back. This is especially useful as you work – you can do work that requires kneeling while keeping baby with you.
Other experts, such as Jean Liedloff, author of The Continuum Concept, and Dr. William Sears, author of many books, including The Baby Book, write it's healthy for a baby to have this “off center” place in the world.
Liedloff notes that babies and children are happier when they're with adults but not the center of attention. She notes how babies in other cultures thrive on being in the baby sling while their mothers are taking care of daily business.
Learning Through Observation
Your little gets a prime seat in life when you carry her. She can observe everything you do. Your baby enjoys being carried and seeing how you live (and you enjoy having a cozy, content baby).
Before you know it your child will be up and imitating all the things she quietly watched you do. She'll be speaking the words she's heard you use. Babywearing is an opportunity for your baby to learn!
Relaxing for Baby – Relaxing for Mama
Your baby may like to be walked – a lot – and your arms get very tired! Baby carriers are an answer to this.
Wearing your baby is the answer to a prayer for parents of fussy babies. Getting out of the house for a brisk walk with your baby in a baby sling or carrier will do you both good.
Many babies fuss when they are first put in a baby carrier, then calm down as you start walking. Movement soothes your baby.
Once your baby is calm in the carrier you can go about your work – you don't have to rush anxiously, wondering if your baby will only sleep a few minutes in the swing or bouncer.
A baby carrier also lets you nurse while you're walking around. Sometimes a fussy baby will be soothed by walking and nursing. You can sit down and relax once the baby is off to sleep!
Some baby carriers let you gently lay your sleeping baby down while still wrapped in the carrier. This could mean the difference between a startled, crying baby and a baby still peacefully snoozing. Just lay your baby down and slip the baby sling or wrap over your head.
Making a Wide World a Little Smaller
When you're out and about with your baby people often reach into the infant seat and touch your baby. Or people ask to hold your baby and you don't want them to. Having your baby close to you in a carrier discourages people from trying to touch your baby and stops most people from asking to hold him.
If you want to nurse your baby while you're out, a baby carrier can make nursing easier. It helps support your baby and can allow you to nurse discreetly if you wish.
Managing any older children is easier with your baby in the carrier. Your hands are free to play with the older children, and your baby is happy with you. When you're out shopping, it can be a great blessing to have both hands free to manage the older children!
Baby carriers can help you even as your child grows older. Many toddlers love to be in the carrier. When you are out of the house it can be comforting for your toddler to be close to you in the sling. It can also bring you peace of mind in a crowded area. If your toddler is having a hard day, time in the sling or carrier can help him calm down.
Choose the baby carrier style that works for you (or you can have different carriers for different occasions!) Enjoy this time when your little one wants to be so intimately connected with you. You'll have wonderful memories to look back on, and probably a very cute picture or two!
Related Articles
[raw]
<--- replace socializeit--->
[/raw]