It’s You and Me Baby

The benefits of babywearing and the use of baby slings for nurturing your baby have become increasing well-known.  However, slings can pose two different types of suffocation hazards to babies. In the first few months of life, babies cannot control their heads because of weak neck muscles and their heads are proportionally bigger.  This is even more of a problem for babies who are premature or have been born with a low birth weight.  If worn incorrectly the sling’s fabric can press against an infant’s nose and mouth, blocking the baby’s breathing and rapidly suffocating a baby within a minute or two.  Additionally, when a sling keeps the infant in a curled or fetal position bending the chin toward the chest, the airways can be restricted, limiting the oxygen supply. The baby may not be able to cry for help and can slowly suffocate.  The youngest and smallest babies are at greatest risk.

There are ways to avoid harm.  Putting young infants in a vertical position with their heads up high on mom’s or dad’s chest, they are positioned chest to chest and their heads are turned to the side so that their noses and mouths are clear of any obstruction is one way to keep them safe.  The makers of baby sling carriers have many safety tips and instructions on their websites.  So even if you buy a sling second-hand go to the manufacturers websites and review their safety information and instructions.  

When preparing to attend a baby shower, there are hundreds of different gift choices for new mothers—everything from bottles, bibs, and blankets to toys for girls and boys. The choices can be a little overwhelming, and even if you find a perfect gift, there’s a chance that someone else will have thought to buy the same thing as you. Here are a few unique ideas for baby shower gifts:

~Baby gift baskets, you can find them online or in specialty stores, and they contain a variety of different gifts, some gender specific, some not.

~Clothes for 6 months to 1 year, most people will buy clothes for a newborn, but a mother will greatly appreciate a few sets of bigger clothes she won’t have to purchase as the baby grows.

~Baby skin care products, keeping a baby’s skin healthy is essential, these products will pamper the infant and make them smell ever sweeter.

~Asian Baby Carriers, these traditional baby carriers not only provide reliable transportation but also serve to coddle the baby.

By carrying your child in a baby carrying sling or wrap you can enjoy the following benefits: 

There are many different baby carriers to choose from.  However, carrying your baby in a baby wrap will make a difference in your babywearing experience. Wraps offer advantages over other baby carriers on the market:

1. gives great support for little heads and necks -especially when your baby falls asleep
2. your baby fits just perfectly every time! -no guessing how much room you will need to leave for you baby to fit inside without being too tight or too loose
3. custom fit- simply tie the wrap carrier snug against your body and no matter what body type you are, it will fit!
4. good quality fabric -heavier cotton knit with a touch of spandex-the ideal material for babywearing
5. discreet nursing is no problem -no need to take the baby out of the wrap baby carrier or use any special attachments for privacy
6. your baby’s hips and legs are supported and not just hanging down
7. no pressure points on your baby -no pressure on developing hips or spines like other hard baby carriers which place pressure on your baby’s pelvis
8. holds your baby high -the fabric bounces back unlike the t-shirt like material of other stretchy baby wraps to keep your baby snug against your chest
9. durable -sturdy fabric that doesn’t stretch out or change shape with repeated washing or babywearing
10. feels soft on your baby’s skin
11. adjustable -just enough give so that there is no need for readjusting
12. much more snug than carrying a car seat or other bulky carrier
13. secure -no wrinkles, bulges of loose material, or sagging when babywearing
14. grows with you and your baby -it’s optimal for infants yet you may continue to carry your baby with this wrap baby carrier as long as you are both comfortable
15. no baby is too small -the baby wrap is designed for the tiniest of babies.
16. ideal for kangaroo care - premature infants thrive when in a wrap on mom or dad’s chest
17. one size fits all -adults of all sizes can comfortably wear and share the wrap
18. wide straps over both shoulders so that there is no lopsided feeling like with babywearing in a sling
19. no time limit to how long your baby can stay in the wrap -there are no pressure points on mom or baby so you may carry your baby as long as you and your baby are comfortable
20. no digging straps or poking buckles or buttons -simple design
21. evenly distributes the weight of your baby-much more supported than carrying with your arms, on one shoulder, or your hip
22. instructions are included -no extras to buy
23. perfect for traveling -compact and great on uneven terrain or crowded places
24. cleans up nicely -wash, tumble dry and go!
25. comfortable -moves with you
26. affordable- a great value seeing that your baby will probably begin to walk on his own before he outgrows the wrap
27. natural sleep solution -no plastic, no music, no bouncy seat-just you- calming and soothing your baby with your warmth, your voice, your scent, your movement and your heartbeat.  There is no more natural way to put your baby to sleep.

 

Did you know there is actually a therapy for colic?  Something you can do for your baby that has been tested?

  A study was published in the medical journal Pediatrics back in 1991.  The title of the article is “Carrying as colic ‘therapy’: a randomized controlled trial.”  The study concluded that “In healthy infants, crying behavior is reduced significantly by ’supplemental’ carrying; that is, increased carrying throughout the day in addition to that which occurs during feeding and in response to crying.” Parents can feel overwhelmed by a colicky baby.  This is where a baby carrying sling can be extremely helpful.  When a baby is colicky and crying more than average extra carrying can help. Parents in this situation would probably want to do anything to help.  Increase the amount of time you carry your baby by wearing your baby in a baby sling, wrap or pouch.  By reducing your baby’s crying and making carrying easier on your body baby slings do a lot to solve this age old problem.

The benefits of babywearing are real.  Studies have even proven it.  For example, neonatal intensive care units that take care of premature and ill babies use what they call “kangaroo care” in which a premature baby is wrapped, skin-to-skin, up against the mother’s or father’s chest. The parent rocks, holds, and gently moves with the baby. The rocking motion, the skin contact, and the rhythmic motion of the parent’s chest during breathing produces the following beneficial effects:

• More stable heart rates
• More even breathing
• A healthier level of oxygen in baby’s blood
• Faster growth
• Less crying and increased time in the state of quiet alertness
• Better sleeping

Researchers believe that using kangaroo care helps the parent act as a regulator of baby’s physiology, including reminding the baby to breathe. In other experiments, infants with breathing difficulties were placed next to a teddy bear stuffed with a mechanism that seemed to “breathe”; these babies also had fewer times of breathing pauses. When the results of this ”teddy technology” hit the newspapers, a reader wrote in, “Why not use the real mother?”  The same thing happens when you wear your baby in an infant sling.

There’s a reason to touch your baby more often - the threat of Irritable Male Syndrome. We live in a touch deprived world and many of us don’t even notice it - but babies do. Baby boys especially can be affected by the lack of human touch. In her study of indigenous tribes in the South American jungle, anthropologist Jean Liedloff spent 2 ½ years studying children. She found that the little boys in these cultures seemed to be better adjusted than the little boys in modern countries. This may seem like a sweeping generalization to many, but Liedoff believed the boys’ behavior was related to the amount of touch they received from their mothers.

In the South American native cultures, babies were held continuously from the times of their births. Liedoff concluded that the physical practice of holding babies is a vital part of human species development and had become practiced less often in the modern world. The term Irritable Male Syndrome is derived from the idea that males who are not held often enough by their mothers become poorly adjusted children, indulging in bad behavior to get attention. This evidence suggests that mothers need to have more physical contact with their male children. One way to do this is to carry the baby in a baby carrier. Ergo baby carriers keep the baby in constant contact with the mother, while allowing the mother to keep both hands free.

Have you made your baby a sling baby yet?  Sling babies are babies who are worn by their mothers, fathers or other caregivers in a fabric baby carrier, pouch or sling.

Babies worn this way cry less and have more of an opportunity to bond.  Caregivers respond to their needs more quickly which increases a baby’s security and confidence that the world is a safe place.  Since they cry less when held this way there is less stress hormone released and circulating in their bodies which means their immune system will not be suppressed.  Stress hormone is a destructive hormone which releases energy stores from the body.  This means stress or crying can impact a baby’s weight gain and development.  It’s great to know some of these facts.  It helps you see all the advantages of holding or carrying your baby–something most parents are drawn to naturally.  There are so many benefits to making your baby a sling baby.

When a baby is worn in a baby sling carrier attached to his mother he feels the rhythm of her breathing, the beating of her heart, and the movements she’s making.  For newborns and young infants this stimulation helps them regulate their own physical responses.  For example, being held in a sling exercises a baby’s vestibular system which controls balance.  The sling is like a transitional womb for a new baby whose nervous system is learning to control his bodily functions and movements.  Research has shown that premature babies who are touched and held gain weight at a faster rate and are sent home sooner than babies who aren’t.  Mechanical swings and other holding devices do not provide the same benefits.  Wearing your baby this way has been practiced for centuries around the world and is gaining a more recent increase in popularity in Westernized cultures.  While using a sling baby carrier provides developmental benefits to baby and promotes bonding, it also provides a huge convenience to caregivers who use them, is comfortable and ergonomic (distributes baby’s weight across one’s back to take the strain off one’s arm). 

In general, bonding with your baby is a natural process, not one magical moment.  There are things that can interfere with bonding like a difficult or complicated birth or a fussy, difficult to console baby or breastfeeding difficulties.  Developing a close relationship with your child really is one of life’s greatest joys as a parent.  There are a host of  things that foster bonding and attachment that come naturally to parents such as smiling, talking to your baby, holding, soothing, and responding to his or her needs.  Have you heard of babywearing?  Babywearing is a term that refers to holding, carrying, or wearing in a sling baby carrier.  Babywearing is a nice way to have baby close and build that love and attachment.