Why
Babywearing
It’s
good for baby:
- Motor
Development:
Newborns are accustomed to an environment where
they are snug, and
warm, they feed on demand, their bodily functions are regulated and
they are in constant contact with the mother’s bodily
functions such as
heartbeat and breathing. Wearing your baby, replicates this
environment. It is calming to the baby who instead of fretting, can put
energy into growth and learning. It helps the baby’s newly
independent
body to continue to function optimally and effortlessly. There is an
additional benefit in that you are in constant contact with your baby
while wearing him or her, and always know that your baby is well. You
know the baby is breathing, you know if the baby is hot, or cold, and
you know how often the baby is sleeping or eating, or if the baby seems
frightened. You are certain of your baby’s well being and are
right
there to see to every need.
- Emotional
Development:
Babies want to be held. Babies that are held cry
less. Human biological
evolution is a slow
process and has not caught up with the social evolution away from hands
on parenting. Now we have many devices and tricks to occupy and satisfy
babies so that we don’t have to hold
them. However, babies thrive with constant human contact.
Being able to hear our heartbeats, and look up into
our faces is not
only comforting and familiar to babies, but lets them know they are
safe. A held baby doesn’t have to worry. The sensation of
being wrapped
up is reminiscent of being in the womb, and very comfortable for
babies. That combined with the heartbeat, and rhythmic motion of the
care giver’s movements will put most newborns right to sleep.
-
Cognitive
Development:
Being wrapped
against us puts babies right where the
action is. Babies
can see what we see, and are constantly learning. Ada sees how I check
out library books with a library card, pull weeds up by the roots, put
the full trash bag in our big trash can, tie my shoes and crack open
eggs and beat them to turn out her scrambled eggs. Every minute she is
wrapped onto me, I am doing something that she is learning from.
People talk more to
babies who are up at our eye level. We
don’t go
anywhere that Ada is not engaged in conversation by strangers. You will
also find it much easier yourself to talk to the baby who is wrapped
against you (front or back) rather than one who is in the stroller in
front of you and facing away from you!
Throughout our shopping trips, social visits, and walks around the
neighborhood, Ada and I keep up a conversation. We can also point
things out to each other. I will point out a squirrel and then leave
the sidewalk so we can get a closer look (try navigating roots and
grass, or jumping a curb in a stroller). She will point out birds
flying overhead, and punctuate her discover with a firm
“Da!” Her view
is unobstructed.
All of this
interaction in the adult world stimulates babies’
understanding of the world. Babies are learning a lot about language
from all of this conversation, a lot about society and behavior and
human interaction from watching us go about each day.
You’re
going to
carry them anyway:
Count up how many
minutes you spend holding and carrying
your baby
daily. For newborns the number may be higher while for toddlers the
minutes may seem longer (what is this kid eating?!). For either one the
answer is likely “a lot.”
So why not wrap them
on, save your arms and back (no more thrusting
hip), get some work done, and make a fashion statement too! With a
little practice you will find that you can make your baby’s
weight
disappear.
Free
up your hands
for chores and other children:
While wearing your baby
you can have your hands free to:
- push and load a shopping cart (in a back carry,
it is
easy to bend over and lug gallons of water onto the cart)
- hold older kids hands crossing the street
- enjoy the zoo without losing track of your
toddler
- actually wash dishes
- pick up, vacuum, dust, scrub, make beds
- paint your front door (please don’t
use any
toxic or even smelly
materials around your baby unless you are in a very well ventilated
area–use good judgement)
- pull weeds
- fix lunches
- pet your cat
- wash cloth diapers
- hold and comfort your big kids
- homeschool or help kids with schoolwork
- brush your teeth
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Discrete,
hands-free nursing is easy:
Breastmilk
is one of the best things you can give your baby, and
nursing is a wonderful way to bond with your baby. But new babies, and
even some old babies, nurse a lot! How to give your babies everything
they deserve and still run a household?
Nursing in a wrap or a
mei tai is easy, can be hands-free, and can be
done in public with none the wiser!
To find out how to
nurse hands free, see wrap front carries and mei tai
front carries.
It’s
sooo much easier than a stroller:
Consider trying to
navigate a stroller around:
- a crowded
airport–with two suitcases and a
diaperbag, no less!
- a parking lot
improvised out of an uneven field of
grass/dirt
- the Renaissance Fair
- onto, into, and out
of public transportation
- a small, cramped
store
- stairs
- the beach
Now
Consider each of the above with your baby wrapped onto your front
or back, hands free to shop, carry bags, pay fees, pick up shells, etc.
Wrapped together, the two of you are about as big as a pregnant woman,
and at least as mobile, with none of the aches or swelling!
Additionally, there are
some places that just won’t allow
strollers.
You might have to leave your stroller outside of a petting zoo, for
example, carry your child in increasingly weary arms, and just hope the
stroller and its contents are there when you get back to the door! Why
bother?
Great
for cuddling:
Wearing your baby on the front puts her right
where you can cover her
with hugs and kisses! Babywearing is great for bonding, as the two of
you can gaze into each other’s eyes to your heart’s
content.
It’s
fun:You will be the envy of
your girlfriends.
You will attract the
amazed stares of strangers.
You will have a
gorgeous accessory to brighten up your typical
post-partum outfit of sweat pants and a t-shirt, and to better show off
your latest, greatest accessory–that cutie in the wrap!
Convinced?
Visit our store to buy a baby wrap.
