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?

Older Children in the Sling

My friend's 3-year-old in her Lucky Baby Sling

When many people think of baby slings, they think of only carrying their newborn in it. In truth, you can carry your child until they're about 35 pounds or about 3 years old. Really what happens is that by the time they're just too heavy to carry in the sling they stop wanting to be carried in it anyway (that toddler independence thing kicks in). It works out well. I've carried my children until they were well into toddlerhood. And after 18 months of age you can put them on your back!

The drive to Costco from my home is just far enough that I can pretty much count on my 11-month-old falling asleep everytime we drive there. What is it about that car ride? I'm just glad she can still sleep soundly in her Lucky Baby Sling, feet dangling out all over the place, and have her nice nap while I load up for the next month in the store.



Don't give up putting your little one asleep in the sling just because they're getting bigger. They're comfy and warm and you're saving your back! I find it easiest to prop them up on my shoulder, then slide them down into the sling bum first when they're this big. Give it a try!

Surgery Day

My sweet baby had surgery yesterday. And while I wouldn't wish this nightmare on any parent, I have to say that the sling made it a much better experience.

We waited in the surgery waiting room with the baby happily asleep in her sling. She had to have an empty stomach and I thought she would be fussing like the other babies were in their car seats. The doctor was quite surprised and made a joke about how she wouldn't even know she was in surgery because she'd sleep through the entire experience.

After surgery I nursed her, dressed her, and again popped her into our favorite sling. The inside is soft sateen that the baby just loves.

They asked if I needed help getting to my car but I really didn't. The baby was again happily asleep in her sling. I grabbed the paperwork and headed to my car.

I kept her in the sling a lot yesterday, nursing as she needed. She slept in my bed at times too and was remarkably happy for a baby who had just had surgery. Another great sling moment...

Safe Babywearing - Newborn

It is so important to properly position your newborn in the sling. I recently read an article called, "Correct Positioning for the Safety and Comfort of your Newborn." It is excellent.

Positioning your infant is so easy in a pouch sling and so necessary. Most parents assume that if their child is uncomfortable in the sling they will fuss or cry. Not so with newborns, premies and children with low tone or developmental delay.

The important thing to remember is that your baby should not be positioned so that their chin is curled tight to their chest. With proper positioning their should always be at least one finger width between their chin and chest. Achieving this is easy with a rolled up blanket or towel that goes behind the baby's body but not under their head. You can also position the fabric of the sling so that their head is positioned correctly.

Symptoms of improper positioning include: rapid or labored breathing, grunting or sighing with every single breath and restlessness.

The best thing to do is to sit down with the sling and your baby when the baby is happy and fed. Try putting the baby in and adjusting the fabric so that they are comfortable. Keep working at it until you have it right.

Questions? Call us anytime at 801-860-8635 for more information or e-mail us directly at info@lucky-baby.com. We're here to help you!

Nursing upright in hip position - 5 month old

We went hiking today along the nature preserve near our home (this is not a great picture but bear with me). With the baby in her sling, the family had a great day. Half way through the hike the baby, now 5 months old, decided that she was hungry. As I was nursing her while hiking, a lightbulb went off above my head. We need a blog with tips and tricks for sling users. Real life stuff. A how to of sorts.

So here goes: after about 4 months old you can start wearing your baby in the hip carry, belly to belly and kangaroo carry position. For details about these positions go to our sling instructions page.

You can always nurse in the cradle position but nursing in the upright sitting position is ultra easy.

Now I know it doesn't look like it in the above photo, but the baby's mouth is actually really close to where it needs to be to nurse. SO, I positioned her just slightly forward from my hip, pulled down my stretchy neck tee (a must when using this position to nurse), unsnapped my nursing bra and voila! I held a firm hand on her upper back while she nursed to prevent her from becoming unattached. I pulled up the sling to cover us but it would have been much nicer if I had on a nursing t-shirt with a slit in the side. If you want to use this position in public, I would highly suggest it.

Look for at least 2 posts a week about sling wearing.

Want to become a contributor? E-mail me with the subject BLOG at candice@lucky-baby.com. Have any other suggestions for nursing while wearing in the hip carry simply comment here.

Happy babywearing!