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Baby Wearing is an ancestral way of carrying a baby that is still traditionally a part of nearly all aboriginal cultures. It consists in binding the baby close to the parent with clothes (in most cases) instead of laying her down. This allows parents to go on with their daily tasks while being assured of their baby's security and continue responding to her needs.
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Let's go back a few million years... You'll understand better!
About 6.5 million years ago, the large monkey family, hominoids, gave birth to the hominids lineage that now represents gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and... Humans! We are not monkey descendants; we are monkeys! Though Homo sapiens (modern Man), other than intelligence, benefit from a much advantageous faculty: bipedalism. Hominids are classified as active carrying primates; this means the babies hold on to the mother after they're born.
In the beginning, all hominids were quadrupeds until the Australopithecus Afenrensis appeared 4 million years ago, like Lucy, whose famous remains were discovered in 1974 in Ethiopia. This specie was the first to walk upright. Walking on two legs enables to save a tremendous amount of energy, so bipedalism most likely became necessary after geographic changes forced us to travel further in order to find food.
Even if this change in evolution characterizes one of the most important for Homo sapiens and that it probably influenced our intelligence, there are downsides to walking upright. Mother Nature had to rethink our bone structure, recalculate the femur's angle, the pelvis's shape and size, redesign the feet, etc. Already at the time our carrying habits were modified. The baby finds it more difficult to grab its mother without it's hand shaped feet like before. But it's dangerous to leave an infant alone so the mother needs to hold her offspring, making her dependant of her partner and the rest of the family to find food and shelter. This also may have contributed to develop our social behaviors. Then, step by step, the brain and skull of species following A. Afenrensis grew bigger and bigger, from 350cc to 1400cc! However the birth canal shrunk after the pelvic bone was adapted for bipelalism; Thus child birth became more difficult, perhaps the most complicated and painful of all mammals.
Another hominid's newborn can be compared to a 3 month old human. A logical explanation for that would be that Mother Nature abridged pregnancy. Otherwise, our large skulled babies wouldn't go through our narrower birth canal. In other words, our children are born immature so they need to be carried not only for their protection but also to ensure their proper development. In our days, statistics have proven that close physical contact with adults stimulates neurobiological connections in newborns.
So, acting purely out of instinct, our ancestors used their knowledge plus experience to create baby carriers, naturally! They could carry their offspring securely while keeping their hands free to continue taking care of their daily tasks.
Then, society appeared. Nomads became sedentary, building houses, villages and towns. Then it was possible to lay a baby down without fearing predators. Many artifacts were invented to leave an infant; the main priority for the parent is knowing that his child is safe. Finally, in modern cultures some philosophies suggested that we should avoid spoiling by not holding our kids too much and by letting them cry.
But our babies did not adapt to these changes. They were made in accordance to the adults needs without even considering the baby's. Their instinct is not to be laid securely, it's to FEEL SECURE! This is essential to their socio-affective and neurobiological development.
Fortunately, Humans became wise enough to dig into their past and find out about human behavior. Archeology, paleontology, Anthropology, psychology and many more fields of studies, reveal interesting secrets... Including the magic of Baby Wearing!
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A sling mimics the natural position of the parent's arms. It follows the baby's spine and does not put direct pressure on it.
Carrying, especially in the tightly-held vertical position, helps baby's digestion and burps.
When babies start wanting to sit, the sling allows them to do so, keeping their legs spread in a natural angle. Thus, their legs are not forced to be kept straight while their hips are still forming.
Being carried in a sling offers a baby movement, pleasure, warmth, security and sounds that are similar to those of the womb. The movements of the mother and the sound of her heart stimulate the baby's nervous system, particularly the vestibular system.
A sling is more comfortable for the parents, because it adequately distributes the weight across the shoulders, back and hips. There are no bands that dig into the skin. All this allows parents to carry babies for longer periods without tiring.
Slings allow babies to be at face level with adults and their activities. This reassures children and allows them to harmoniously learn about their environment. Carried babies are very sociable and calm.
Carried children cry less than the others because the permanent contact with the adult makes him immediately informed of the baby's needs and can satisfy them without delay. The parents develop a very narrow communication with carried children and they better and faster understand their hazard warning signals.
Carrying reduces crying and restlessness by 43% during the day and 51% at night, according to a study that appeared in Pediatrics in 1996. Carrying reinforces a sense of competence and self-confidence in parents, who know that they have a sure way of satisfying their baby.
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Carrying helps you and your baby to communicate better. Parents that carry their babies interpret the signals of their babies more efficiently, and carried babies get quickly used to facial expressions and voice of the adult carrying them.
Slings cost less than strollers, commercial baby carriers or back carriers, and they can be used just about every day for 2-3 years.
Wearing your baby is fun. Slings attract attention, initiate conversations and encourage communication. And there's nothing like the feeling of having your baby cuddled up to you.
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Yes, baby wearing is a privileged attachment asset! But what is parental attachment and why is it so important?
Parental attachment is the durable bond between a baby and the caregiver. This theory was first studied by John Bolwby and Mary Ainsworth in the 1960's. Since then, it has been the subject of many researches that confirm their results, which are now rarely doubted.
Parental attachment is considered to be the root of personality and a baby's level of attachment will influence his/her integration into society.
They are 2 types of attachment: secure attachment and insecure attachment, which is divided into 4 groups (ambivalent, avoiding, resistant and disorganized)
When a baby receives constant care with attention to her signals according to her physical and affective needs, the attachment will develop in confidence and security. It has been shown that those who experienced secure attachment as babies have a better social behavior and status, are more in control of their emotions and experience less stress.
Alternatively, if the care is provided inconsistently without particular attention to signals and needs, attachment will develop more on the insecure side. Insecure attachments can lead to problematic social behaviors and even psychopathological troubles.
This information should be considered seriously...
Most parents will agree that newborns cry a lot during the first three months and the solution is often to simply hold them. That's because babies feel secure when they're held... And there you have it! The importance of baby wearing in relation with parental attachment! The simple act of baby wearing will secure your baby, proximity will help you to be immediately warned of her needs and respond faster, you and your baby will get to know each other better and together you will start establishing strong communication abilities. Sharing your heartbeat, the sound of your voice and your breathing rhythm throughout your normal daily activities with your baby is a great way to show you are there for her: this is not called spoiling! She will cry less, will feel less stress, will sleep better and develop the confidence she needs to grow through every step of childhood!
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