Babywearing

Before Lily was born, I knew I wanted to wear her as much as possible. I read about the benefits of doing this, but I was mostly going by how I felt. I thought I would prefer the Baby Bjorn style of baby carrier, but I did not realize that I would have to decide what to use based on my BABY's preferences! After Lily was born, I tried to carry her in the Snugli that we had, but she did not like it at all! Next we bought a Moby Wrap, but she did not like that either. I tried the sling hold one day and she seemed to tolerate that really well. The only problem is that she's not quite old enough to use the Moby Wrap in the sling hold. A few days later I saw a Facebook sale going on for the TaylorMade Batik Baby Slings at the baby boutique that I really like. It came in the mail a couple of days and Lily took to it right away! I never thought I would use a sling with her, but she prefers it.

I love what Dr. Sears has to say about the benefits of babywearing. The entire article is here.

1. Sling babies cry less. Parents in other cultures wear their babies all the time and only put their babies down to sleep. The amount of time their babies cry can be measured in mere minutes whereas in Western cultures a baby's cry can be measured in hours.

2. Sling babies learn more. Because these babies are more content and spend less time fussing, they can spend more time in the state of quiet alertness. This is an optimal learning environment for babies.

3. Sling babies are more organized. "It's easier to understand babywearing when you think of a baby's gestation as lasting eighteen months – nine months inside the womb and at least nine more months outside. The womb environment automatically regulates baby's systems. Birth temporarily disrupts this organization. The more quickly, however, baby gets outside help with organizing these systems, the more easily he adapts to the puzzle of life outside the womb. By extending the womb experience, the babywearing mother (and father) provides an external regulating system that balances the irregular and disorganized tendencies of the baby."

4. Sling babies get "humanized" earlier. "Another reason that babywearing enhances learning is that baby is intimately involved in the caregiver's world...A baby worn while a parent washes dishes, for example, hears, smells, sees, and experiences in depth the adult world. He is more exposed to and involved in what is going on around him. Baby learns much in the arms of a busy person."

5. Sling babies are smarter. "Environmental experiences stimulate nerves to branch out and connect with other nerves, which helps the brain grow and develop. Babywearing helps the infant's developing brain make the right connections...Normal ambient sounds, such as the noises of daily activities, may either have learning value for the infant or disturb him. If baby is alone, sounds may frighten him. If baby is worn, these sounds have learning value. The mother filters out what she perceives as unsuitable for the baby and gives the infant an "It's okay" feeling when he is exposed to unfamiliar sounds and experiences."

We'll see how it goes! So far it's great!