It’s You and Me Baby

Don’t you want the best for your baby?  Well, strollers can’t do for your baby what sling baby carriers can.  Strollers separate you from your child.  Wearing your baby in a sling baby carrier while at home or out and about builds a strong bond between you and your child.  Baby is soothed by feeling the rhythm of your breathing and heart beat.  Babies worn in a baby sling cry less and feel more safe and secure.  Parents are more in tune with baby’s needs and respond more quickly.  When baby is responded to quickly he learns to trust and to know that the world is a safe place.  Sling baby carriers do so much for you and your baby.  They really are the best

It sounds bizarre but wearing your baby helps him be organized.  What do we mean?  Well, the environment of the womb automatically regulates your baby’s systems.  After birth, wearing your baby in a baby sling helps him stay organized.  It mimicks the womb environment and helps your baby adapt to life outside the womb.  By extending this experience the baby-wearing caregiver provides an external environment to counteract baby’s tendency to become disorganized.  For example, have you ever noticed that the more tired a baby gets the more he or she cries?  It doesn’t make sense but that’s the way it often happens.  This is an example of how a baby gets disorganized and can’t become calm automatically.  Wearing your baby in a baby carrying sling provides an external regulating system.  Mother’s rhythmic walking while she is pregnant, for example, which baby experienced for 9 months and is imprinted on his brain now occurs in the outside womb of the sling and calms baby.  The feel of mother’s breathing, heart beat and voice with baby pressed up against her chest is replicated when baby is worn in a sling, wrap, or pouch.  Wearing a baby this way helps him or her adjust to the world.  

My son is now a toddler and able to walk on his own, but I used to carry him around using an ergonomic baby carrier. When he was a baby, he loved to go on walks with me and look at all the flowers, cars and bees flying around. I would just slather him with sunscreen, plop on a sun hat and go! It was also a great way for me to get exercise and work off the baby weight – way better than using a stroller.

My one concern with my baby carrier was that my son would get too hot from being so close to my body. The carrier really enveloped him all over and I would get hot and sweaty, too, from our mutual body heat. I had to take him out of the carrier from time to time because I was worried about him becoming overheated. For my next baby, I plan to look for a lightweight, breathable baby carrier, like a sling, to prevent overheating.

 Many parents end up using a car seat carrier for holding their baby.  Imagine laying against hard plastic with a thin pad on it.  It’s a great convenience for the parent but very limiting for the baby.  Plus, baby losses out on so many advantages of being closer to mom and dad.  Here are some advantages of wearing your baby in a fabric baby sling: 

1) the child feels the rhythm of a parent’s breathing

2) the baby feels and hears the parent’s heart beat and voice

3) the baby smells the parent’s scent

4) wearing your baby mimicks the womb making the baby feel calm and secure.

Research has shown that children worn in a sling cry about 50% less.  For colicky babies this can be especially helpful.  In addition to freeing up the parent’s hands wearing one’s baby in a fabric baby sling distributes baby’s weight more evenly across a parent’s back.  It’s better for baby and better for mom and dad.

The popularity of wearing your baby is growing.  With that growth has come an increase in babywearing products on the market.  This has given us a large variety of choices.  One of the excellent choices is a pouch baby sling made by Kangaroo Korner.   It comes in many different fabrics–fleece for colder climates, mesh for use in the water or at the beach, and an all-seasons breathable fabric.  It is easy to put on and your child can be carried in many different positions.  It’s one of our favorites.

Ask any mom who’s wearing her baby in a baby sling if she loves her sling and I bet you’ll find that she has lot of great things to say.  I doubt you’d get the same response from a mom pushing a stroller.  Pictured here is the Kangaroo Korner Adjustable Pouch.  It’s one of many wonderful baby slings on the market.  Slings are wonderful for bonding with your baby.  Baby feels secure and content being worn this way.  Research has even confirmed the advantages of wearing your baby.  For example, studies have found that babies worn in baby slings cry less and have less stress hormones circulating in their bodies.  That says alot.  But moms will also tell you how wonderful slings are.

The baby stroller seems like a necessity but it doesn’t give you or your baby the many advantages of wearing him or her in a baby sling carrier.  Baby strollers are bulky and heavy.  A fabric baby sling is light and easy to put in a diaper bag or big purse.  In a stroller children can start fussing or try to climb out.  Children who are worn in a baby sling are content and observing the environment.  Strollers are difficult to manuever on streets and through doors–not like wearing your baby in a sling.  Your hands are free to open doors and many other things.  I bet if your baby could answer you he would surely tell you he is tired of being pushed around.  Get free of the cumbersome stroller.  Start wearing your baby.

Try wearing your baby in a fabric baby carrier or sling.  Some popular versions are the Maya Wrap, Moby Wrap, Cuddly Wrap, Kangaroo Korner Adjustable Pouch and others.  There are so many benefits to wearing your baby.  1.  It keeps baby safe and secure so he is able to focus on learning about his environment.  This helps with his cognitive development.  2.  It keeps a toddler from running into the parking lot or street or climbing out of the stroller–slings can be used for children up to 35 lbs.

 3.  It is convenient.  It frees up your hands.  4.  Babywearing promotes bonding.  You feel the rhythm of each other’s heart beat and breathing.  It helps you feel close and contected.  5.  It soothes a fussy baby.  6.  For moms who breastfeed they can nurse discreetly with their baby in their sling.

Babies want to be held alot and parents want to hold them but then how do you even make a sandwich for yourself!  Holding your child is a natural desire and some babies demand it more from their parents than others but there’s an easy solution–baby carrying slings.  Learn how to wear your child in an infant sling.  Many women make it look easy.  You may see them on the street or in the library wearing their child effortlessly (many young babies love to sleep in the sling or a woman can discreetly nurse her child in the sling).  It becomes even more helpful when you have a toddler or preschooler to chase after at the same time.  All in all you really can make many moments special by wearing your child this way.  It takes a little practice and getting used to but it’s one thing you can feel good about.