Why To Babywear from www.thewigleys.net

There are many health advantages and psychological benefits to wearing a baby. I will list just a few here. This list is by no means exhaustive of the reasons to wear your baby!

Health Advantages for Parents & Babies

1. Slings mimic a parent's arms. Sling carriers follow the natural contour of the spine and do not put pressure directly on the spine.
2. When Baby wants to sit more upright, slings allow them to do so while keeping their legs together. Therefore, Baby's legs are not forced apart while their pelvis is still soft and forming.
3. Sling carriers provide contact pressure, motion, pleasure, warmth, security, and sound similar to the womb. The movements of the parent can help Baby maintain that nice quiet alert state for learning. Babies who are worn for prolonged periods of time seldom enter a state of distress.
4. Babies who are carried for prolonged periods of time tend to develop good tone in the neck and trunk and are able to adjust their posture nicely in different positions once they are self mobile. In other words, you could expect the child to obtain sitting balance and transitional movements between positions, such as from sitting to standing, more rapidly, and more enhanced balance when walking.
5. When babies are born, they are literally curled in a ball and are (usually) not comfortable if you try to straighten them out. The very act of carrying the infant helps the infant to pull out of this flexion state.
6. The muscle tone in the neck and back of worn babies is greatly enhanced.
7. Sling carriers allow babies to see and feel their caregiver while allowing their caregiver to hold them comfortably and for longer periods of time. Being able to see and feel their caregiver lowers the stress hormones in a baby's system, thus lessening crying, spitting up, and diaper rashes.
8. Sling carriers literally "sling" over the parent's shoulder. This style, as opposed to the carriers which use straps, greatly increases the comfort of the nursing mother because it doesn't restrict circulation in her chest tissue.
9. Sling carriers evenly distribute the weight of the worn baby across the shoulders, hips, and back.
10. When using the hip-carry in a sling, parents can stand upright with better posture, instead of thrusting their hip out.

Psychological Benefits

1. Slinging a Baby reduces crying and fussiness 43% during the day and 51% at night according to a randomized controlled test reported in Pediatrics.
2. Clinical studies have shown frequent carrying makes a baby less prone to undesirable addictions.
3. Sling babies need to be carried less than their counterparts reared in mechanical devices as they get older. Sling babies are less clingy. This is because they are more secure and self reliant and confident. They give their parent cues to be set down to crawl off and explore and play rather than tugging on Mommy's skirt begging to be picked up.
4. Older siblings are more accepting of a new baby worn frequently. This is because Mommy has her hands free and can still give attention to the older children while carrying her newborn.
5. When carried in a sling, Baby shares in your walking, talking, working, laughing, and playing and is able to discharge their energy in this most pleasurable way.
6. Carried babies see and experience the world; they participate with their parent, develop their senses faster, cry less, learn more, and thrive better because they are less bored and more relaxed and secure.

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