Baby wearing: benefits for mother and baby!

I first became interested in baby wearing with my first little one. She was happier in my arms, and I was happier with her there too. I could stare at her sleeping so peacefully, or take advantage of the nap and sleep with her! She wasn’t a big fan of being in a sling, but my arms got a workout and so did my back. Who knew that having children can improve your muscles!!

With my son, the sling was used extensively. He was a bit bigger than his sister, and I had figured out what to do with the darned thing. When he was still small, I could even get away with nursing hands free with the sling. The only downside to the sling was that it hung on one shoulder, and as he got older I found it just caused back pain and an overall “unbalanced” feeling.

Well, if slings were the “carrier du jour” of 10 years ago, wraps are where it’s at today! With a little practice, your newborn can sit snuggled against you, listening to your heartbeat and have easy access to either breast *BONUS*!!! I also love that many of the wraps have little bulk, so you can throw a poncho over them to stay warm as the fall days get chillier.

So why wear your baby, besides having a happier baby? Turns out that babies need to be able to block out stimulation. In a wrap, once they are an older baby, they can turn their head in toward mom to block out the world as they need to so they don't get overstimulated. Another positive benefit is that moms who carry their babies have better core body strength and get good aerobic benefits from carrying the extra weight. These gains in personal fitness can result in long term health like lowered rates of osteoporosis and heart disease.

I had the pleasure of looking at all the beautiful wraps Saint John’s own Sue Appleton sells while at the baby fair last Sunday. I wanted to buy them just for the colours! You can find these wraps at: http://azurewraps.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=14_45_46. There were a number of moms and babies walking around using them, all looking comfy and happy. Sue also offers many other quality products, like cloth diapers and non-leaching stainless steel sports bottles. Definitely worth a look, and if you are expecting, a gentle nudge to grammies, friends and family for some ways to spoil you and baby!