A Healthy Happy Baby

We all want our babies to be happy. But did you know that wearing them in the sling accomplishes this?

I read this recently on Dr. Sears website about babywearing:

Have you ever wondered why mothers in other cultures have for centuries worn their babies in homemade slings? I used to believe this old custom's purpose was simply to protect babies from jungle dangers or to enable mothers to do manual labor. Wrong! When I was researching parenting styles in other cultures, I interviewed African mothers who wore their babies in slings that were extensions of their clothing. They agreed that babywearing protected their infants from dangers, but that wasn't the main reason for doing it. Instead, they said, "It makes life easier for the mother," or "It does good things for babies." What good things? I inquired. These mothers replied, "The babies seem happier," or "They cry less," or "They seem more content," or "The babies grow better."

Babies worn in pouch slings are indeed happier and thus spend more time in a quiet alert stage - the behavioral state when babies interact and then learn from their environment.

A study was done in Montreal in 1986 with 99 mother-infant pairs. One half were asked to carry their babies 3 hours more during the day and were given baby carriers. The other half were not given any carrying instructions. You've probably already guessed this, but after 6 weeks the infants who received extra carrying cried and fussed 43 % less than the non-carried group.

So if you're little one is teething or is just fussy for no reason at all, pop them in the sling and you'll see a big improvement! Have a happy baby story you'd like to share?