If a mother told you they knew a secret to help your baby sleep better, cry less and be self-soothed while your hands were free to accomplish personal tasks throughout the day, would you be interested? Less crying, better sleeping and more time for ME? Of course you’d want to know what they were talking about! Mothers across the globe have known this secret for centuries. The answer is the ancient practice and art and called babywearing.

Introducing Babywearing!

“Babywearing” is actually a relatively new term, coined by Martha Sears and popularized by her husband Dr. William Sears, a well-known pediatrician and author of child rearing books. Research supports numerous advantages of babywearing such as strong bonding between baby and caregivers, better sleep and development, and reduced crying. Ronald Barr, professor of paediatrics at the University of British Columbia first discovered the link between babywearing and a reduction in crying in a 1986 study where it was found that an extra two hours of carrying baby each day reduced crying in young infants by as much as 43%! (1) Now he works to help educate the parents in his practice about the advantages of babywearing, as well as dispelling the misconception that carrying your baby can lead to spoiling a child. Contrary to western cultural myths, independence is actually established earlier when babies are worn in a sling or baby carrier. (2)

Practical & Convenient

There is extensive medical support for babywearing as it benefits your baby, but lets not forget the benefit to parents, as well. Babywearing not only allows caregivers to get on with their day hands free, accomplishing tasks that may otherwise not have been attended to, but it also allows for an easier time for new parents to get out and about without having to worry about lugging around a bulky stroller or car seat attachment wherever they go. For parents with more than one child, babywearing keeps your hands free to attend to an older child, while baby is well out of harm’s way, content and secure.

Babywearing is healthy for baby, we know this without a doubt, but it is also practical and convenient for mom and dad. How many times have you seen a new mom with their young baby in their arms while pushing their stroller? Baby is going to want to be carried – being in arms against mom or dad is the most comfortable, warmest and most secure spot to be! So the question becomes not why carry your baby, but HOW to carry your child without causing undue stress, strain and pain. How do we make the experience of babywearing as comfortable for the wearer possible? The answer lies in finding the right baby carrier among the vast selection available on the market today.

Check back with us next week when we discuss the most important questions parents need to ask themselves to help narrow down the selection of baby carriers available, and we’ll try our best to help you find the perfect baby carrier for your family’s needs. If you follow along with our Babywearing 101 series over the next several weeks, you’ll also get the opportunity to win a few baby carriers along the way!

This is the first of a series of articles presented by Parenting By Nature‘s founder and mother of two, Tamara Champion. For more articles and information visit the Parenting By Nature website or browse their extensive baby carrier selection. You’re sure to find the right baby carrier to suit your individual needs, style and desires!

(1) Hunziker UA, Garr RG. (1986) Increased carrying reduces infant crying: A randomized controlled trial. Pediatrics 77:641-648.
(2) Morris, D. (1992). What Comforts a Baby? In Babywatching (pp 80-82). New York: Crown Publishers Inc.