Slings Make Mothering Easier
By Debi Mitchell (slingmom@slingbaby.com)
Mothers all over the world carry their babies with them
throughout the day. While being carried a baby participates in
walking, talking, laughing, working and playing. Babies are
happier when their need for touch, warmth, and movement is
fulfilled. A content, alert baby can observe the world around and
learn more readily. A stroller or plastic carrier just can not
provide the tactile stimulation and natural rhythm of movement
necessary for proper neurological development.
Health professionals and other experts in the baby field are
agreeing that there are many benefits to wearing your baby in a
sling. Pediatricians agree that baby slings reduce crying and
help to calm colicky babies. A randomized controlled test
reported in Pediatrics showed that carrying babies reduces
crying 43% during the day and 51% at night. Babies who cry show
more stress hormones circulating through their central nervous
system, and stress is known to cause diseases in humans. This
stress can irritate the immature digestive system, so being
touched and carried has a positive effect on the digestive
system. Also less frustrated babies have less frustrated parents
and therefore they are less often the victims of child abuse.
Having your baby held close in a baby sling encourages
parent-infant bonding and develops a lifelong security. The
ability to calm an infant is important for parent/infant
attachment. A calmer, less irritable infant feeds better, is more
socially responsive, and is more likely to develop a better
relationship with its parent. Infants to toddlers can be worn
comfortably and securely in a variety of positions. Once mothers
try carrying their baby in a sling they find it remarkably easy
since their baby is so content.
A mother carrying her baby in a sling has the baby close by to
respond to his or her needs through breastfeeding too. Human milk
gives a baby nutrients and immune properties that cannot be
duplicated. Mothers can nurse their babies discreetly and carry
on with their daily activities while knowing that their
baby's needs are being met. Babies can never be spoiled by
responding quickly to their needs. A truly independent child is
one who feels comfortable knowing that their caregiver will
respond to them so they can venture out into the world when they
are ready. Increasing the time that a baby is held close builds
security that will benefit them for the rest of their life. A
baby raised in a sling needs to be carried less when they are
older than their counterpart who was reared with mechanical
devices. Sling babies are less clingy! They give their parent
cues when they want to crawl off, explore, and play- rather
than tugging on mommy's skirt , whining to be picked up.
Using a baby sling has many other advantages over a
conventional carrier. With a conventional front or back carrier
the weight is carried on the parent's shoulder which puts
strain on the neck, shoulder, and lower back. With a baby sling
the weight is distributed evenly across the shoulder, back and
hip. When carrying an older child on the hip, the parent does not
have to thrust their hip out to hold the baby up; the sling holds
the child up and the parent can stand straight upright for better
posture. A sling can also be worn on the opposite shoulder to
share the load. In this manner a child can easily be carried
until at least three years old on the hip.
A baby's spine is placed in a compromising position in
many of today's other popular carriers. An infant who is
upright with legs hanging down through openings has undue stress
on the base of their spine. A baby's spine in this position
has to bear his entire weight and this can cut into the
baby's circulation. This position also holds their legs
apart in a bowlegged manner during the months when the pelvis is
soft and forming. Being in a sling is similar to being in a
hammock. A child can lie down in a horizontal position with their
head and neck supported by the sling, or sit up cross-legged so
his weight is dissipated through his legs and hips.
When a newborn baby is carried in a sling it helps ease the
transition from the womb. As a baby grows it can be placed in new
positions in the sling to look out and learn about the world.
This stimulation is important in their growth and development.
When a child begins riding on your hip the sling helps to
displace the weight so you can hold them easily without straining
your muscles. Slings make it easier for mothers to go places and
do things, yet meet the needs of their child at the same time.
For more information about an Over the Shoulder Baby Holder baby
sling you can call toll free 1-877-803-2109 or visit the
Slingbaby website at http://www.slingbaby.com.
Don't put things off. Wear your baby!
