It’s You and Me Baby

Babies love and need to be held. Carrying your baby in a baby wrap like the CuddlyWrap™ promotes health and optimal development. Here are a few reasons why babies love to spend time in the comfort of baby wraps:

• baby is more relaxed and content; feels secure and therefore cries less
• enhances motor skills and coordination by stimulating baby’s sense of balance
• promotes a quiet, alert state and energizes baby’s nervous system
• stimulates baby’s brain development and cognitive learning
• helps baby settle into sleep more quickly
• carried babies often sleep more deeply and for longer periods of time.

Finding a safe and secure way to transport your baby is an important decision for any parent. Not only is it important for the baby to be comfy, but you should be comfortable as well. Ergonomic baby carriers are specifically designed to maximize comfort for you and your baby while maintaining the highest standards of safety.

Ergonomics is the science of designing equipment and tools to properly fit the user. Products that are ergonomically designed prevent injury and excess strain during use. With an ergonomically designed baby carrier, wearing your child will feel natural, like the product was your own kangaroo pouch.

 The Cuddyly Wrap is a type of baby carrier that allows you to wear your baby in a variety of positions.  It is one long piece of fabric that allows you to wear your child in a pouch, front carrier, or back carrier.  It is very versatile, comfortable, and convenient.  It is easy to transport and store.  The company that makes the Cuddly Wrap is a family-owned business called Peapod Creations.  They have a wonderful philosophy as written in their own words:

“As a company, and as family members working together, we at Peapod Creations believe in the importance of close, nurturing family ties. We are particularly focused on the needs of infants and young children and how parents can best fulfill those needs. One of the most basic needs of a newborn is to be held in close contact with mother, father or other caregiver. This helps infants develop their trust in the world. It also enables parents to develop their awareness of their baby’s cues and confidence in their ability to meet their baby’s needs.”  They are very supportive of families in general and their customers in particular.  They make a wonderful, award-winning product.

When my son was a baby, it was very hard to get him to go down for naps. He would cry and cry when I put him down in his crib, knowing that a few minutes of hysterics was all it took for me to come pick him up. I ended up letting him fall asleep on my chest while sitting on the couch for several months, too scared to try getting him to sleep in his crib. This really limited my ability to get things done around the house.

Then I found out about baby wearing, the practice of holding your baby close to your body with a baby carrier or sling. It gives your baby the comfort of being close to you, but frees up your hands and allows you to do other things besides hold him. It worked miracles for my baby and allowed me to be much more productive while he napped. As he got older, I used my baby carrier to get him to fall asleep, and then gently placed him in his crib for the remainder of his nap. Success!

All mothers know that most infants spend about 65% of the day asleep (well, if you’re lucky!).  But sometimes it can seem like infants wake up and start fussing at the most inopportune times.  When traveling or in transit, it can be a real hassle to have a fussy infant with you.  For this reason, cuddle wraps are the ideal baby carriers for infants from a couple days old to several months.  The cuddle wrap is designed to support the infant and provide them with a comfortable place to rest.  Most infants can’t resist falling asleep in a cuddle wrap, and mothers who own cuddle wraps often find that their infants tend to sleep more soundly and wake up less frequently. 

You’ll be amazed at all the time you can save by wearing a cuddle wrap to support your infant.  Instead of tending to your infant because they are uncomfortable or not warm enough, you can have your hands free to take care of all those everyday tasks.  In addition, you’ll find it much easier to cuddle with your infant when you do have the time! 

Babies worn is slings are more content.  Studies show that the more time babies are being held, the less time they spend crying.  In many cultures babywearing (i.e. wearing your baby in a fabric baby sling) is the norm.  Babies who are worn cry for only a few minutes a day versus babies in Western culture where the “normal” amount of crying is measured in hours.  Crying is exhausting for both parents and babies.  It may be damaging to the baby’s developing brain which is getting flooded with stress hormones during crying.  Babies who are content can spend their energy calmly observing and learning about everything around them.  Therefore, babywearing is especially useful for colicky or high-needs babies who are much happier when they are worn.  However, even more content babies benefit from the bonding opportunity that babywearing offers.

Let’s face it, some baby carriers can be quite uncomfortable with all the chafing, back strain, and poor weight distribution.  Carrying your baby should be enjoyable and shouldn’t limit your movement, which is why an ergonomic baby sling is the best choice.  An ergo baby sling is quite comfortable, and offers your infant the support they need while preventing chafing and strain to your shoulders and back.  Ergo baby slings have been around for centuries, and are modern versions of the simple fabric slings mothers used to carry their babies in the ancient world.  An ergo baby sling is the ideal baby carrier for mothers whether making dinner, shopping, or just visiting friends.  In addition, you can sit down with your ergo baby sling and not have to worry about you or your baby being uncomfortable (a real problem with some baby carriers). 

You can find ergo baby slings at most retailers of infant products, but it’s a good idea to ensure that the sling bears a specific description of being ‘ergonomic’.  This indicates that the sling was designed for maximum function and comfort. 

I don’t think there is a greater joy or feeling of fulfillment for a mom or dad than to cuddle and hold his or her baby closely.  When babies are very young they want to be held alot–some want to be held all the time.  You can’t spoil a baby by holding him or her.  If you want to facilitate the bond with your baby consider wearing him or her in a baby sling, pouch or wrap.  It’s a trend referred to as babywearing and the benefits to child and cargiver are tremendous.

At birth a baby is already accustomed to a parent’s rhythms and sounds and knows a parent’s scent.  By wearing your child in a fabric baby sling, carrier or wrap you are spending time in close contact.  This helps a child feel secure–maintaining the familiar rhythms, sounds, and scents that a baby is already in tune with.  It also provides the familiar motion that resembles what it was like in the womb.  It’s called babywearing and provides a wonderful opportunity to bond with your baby while meeting their needs.  It’s a win-win situation.