Babywearing: All you need to know about wearing your baby

What is Babywearing?

Babywearing is the practice of carrying your baby around with the help of some form of carrier. It involves the parent or carer of the baby, attaching the baby to their bodies using a carrier (such as a think cloth etc.) so that they can carry on their everyday life duties and looking after their baby’s health and well being at the same time.

What is the history behind the term babywearing?

It is said that Dr. William Sears, a pediatrician by profession coined the term ‘attachment parenting’. One of the main techniques which he talked about when describing the above mentioned term was ‘babywearing’. Babywearing is common practice that is centuries old and is still being used by a large number parents, especially young mothers throughout the world.

Why wear the baby?

There are many factors which into play when figuring out as to why this practice has become so popular for the past few decades. Some of these factors are mentioned below:

• Develops a strong bond between the mother and her baby due to the intimacy.
• Carriers used for the act put much less burden on a woman’s body.
• The mother can keep constant watch on her baby
• The woman’s hands are free to perform other tasks
• It is much easier for the mother to breastfeed the baby
• The behaviour of babies who are worn is different as compared to those who are not. These babies are reportedly a lot more calm as they are aware of the presence of their parent at all times.

Who wears the baby?

Women from every corner of the globe love babies. However, it is not easy to carry a baby around all day long. The practice of wearing a baby goes back centuries to ancient times when women didn’t really have access to proper cloths or technology to help them with care of the baby. Time has passed and women have begun to learn and appreciate the benefits of wearing the baby. Therefore nowadays, women more often than not tend to use the act of wearing when handling a baby.

What are the types of carriers used to wear a baby?

Slings

With the slings method of wearing a baby, women use a large piece of cloth strapped around the woman’s shoulder for support. The pouch which forms as a result is where the baby gets placed.

Wraps

Wraps is a type of wearing a baby which is quite similar to the “slings” type. However, this one also involves the wrapping of a large piece of cloth around the waist for support.

Skin to Skin Care

This is a technique in which the mother and the baby are kept in physical contact with each other. This not only promotes bonding between the two but also helps in keeping a premature baby warm as well as facilitates breastfeeding.

Soft Structure Carrier

This type of carrier is made of soft material and proper padding. This is a carrier with a more modern and trendy look as compared to other types of carriers used for babywearing.

Is there a special day which honors the act of babywearing?

Babywearing is honored each year at the popular “The International Babywearing Week” event. During the week people are nominated for different categories and are given awards at the end of the week on the basis of individual performances.

What precautions a mother should take when wearing the baby?

1. Support: Make sure that the baby has proper back support.
2. Firm Knot: Make sure that the cloth used to wear the baby is firm and tightly knit to the mother’s body.
3. View: Make sure that the baby is within view of the mother so that she could keep constant watch over the baby’s health.
4. Position: Make sure the baby stays in the upright position except when it is time to breastfeed.
5. Airways: Make sure that the baby breathes freely and that the airways remain unobstructed.