For the majority of parents, cuddling up with their baby on the couch at home for the entire day is certainly a true fantasy. However, the obligations of everyday life usually do not allow this; after all, there are numerous things to do, such as shopping, cleaning or doing the laundry.
Nevertheless, there is a great and extremely simple way to spend a lot of cuddle time with the baby – namely, in the form of a practical baby carrier. This still allows enough freedom to perform all everyday tasks without restriction.
The baby carrier, which is often also referred to as a baby sling, offers numerous convincing advantages. These benefit not only the parents but also the baby itself.
When the baby is lying in its carrier, it experiences the environment just as its wearer does. It goes through the whole of everyday life with mom or dad, constantly hears its parents’ voices and gets to see numerous other people.
This stimulates all the baby’s senses. In addition, this ensures an early knowledge of language and the child comes into contact with its environment at a very early age. This is hardly possible when the offspring lies exclusively in its stroller.
The baby also finds the constant changes in the direction of movement and the variety of different environments, which it gets to know in the baby carrier, extremely exciting.
Less frequent crying and screaming
Scientific studies have already been able to prove that children who spend a lot of time in a baby carrier during the first months of their lives cry much less often than babies who are transported in a stroller, for example. This is especially true in the evening hours, so parents experience less stress and can sleep more peacefully.
As parents can switch off much better from the stress and hecticness of the day in the evening, the quality of their sleep improves. This reduces their risk of falling ill and perhaps even infecting their offspring. In general, healthy babies also cry and scream less.
If the child cries, this means great stress not only for the parents but also for the offspring itself. However, this can be significantly reduced on both sides with a baby carrier.
Help with colic
Babies often suffer from colic, which is a great stress test for the parents. The child experiences severe abdominal pain, which makes him cry – although calmness would be particularly important for both sides at this moment. But even in this context, the solution may be to carry the baby upright.
It is not yet clear why the symptoms of colic can be alleviated in detail by body carrying. However, it is suspected that the area of the baby’s abdomen is relaxed by the body heat of the wearer. In addition, a massaging effect comes from the lifting and lowering of Mum and Dad’s chests.
The rhythmic swaying motions and close contact with the caregiver provide a sense of security, which could be beneficial in alleviating discomfort. Many parents find that using a baby carrier wrap enhances the effectiveness of these calming techniques, creating a cocoon-like setting that promotes relaxation for the infant.
Also not to be neglected is that the baby is in an upright position in its carrier, for example, the Tula Baby Carrier. Thus, the contents of the stomach always remain in the lower area, and heartburn is effectively relieved.
Better sleep
Babies often calm down as soon as their parents are near. There is an instinctive survival strategy in this behaviour. Newborns often wake up to make sure that their parents are close by and that they are, therefore, safe.
The baby’s sleep is, therefore, particularly calm and relaxed in a baby carrier because it hears Mum and Dad’s voices and perceives their scent. Subconsciously, the baby feels safe at all times. After sleep, the offspring appears much more rested.
This phenomenon is particularly beneficial during periods of illness or when the child is getting its first teeth – after all, that’s when it needs a restful night’s sleep.
Stronger bond
Even before birth, mothers form an extremely close bond with their babies. It goes without saying that this bond should be maintained and strengthened after delivery. In this respect, the baby carrier also helps. With it, parents can constantly be close to their offspring and sing, talk or cuddle together.
Mum and Dad can thus develop a feeling for their offspring’s needs much more quickly. The child also doesn’t have to cry or call for a parent to get attention.
Preventing a flat back of the head
In their first months of life, babies are not yet capable of turning or sitting on their own. For this reason, they spend most of their time lying on their backs. As a result, the development of a flat back of the head can be encouraged.
In some cases, the flattening of the back of the head may even prove to be so pronounced that the offspring will have to wear a special helmet in later years to correct the deformity. However, this can be avoided by using a baby carrier.
Promoting weight gain
Some babies first have to become familiar with the function of breastfeeding and can hardly independently estimate how much milk they need.
If one’s own offspring tends to be a poor eater and thus weighs too little, the baby carrier is a valuable means of ensuring that the baby has a constant opportunity to feed.
By always being close to the breast while being carried, the urge to drink is encouraged. It also encourages mothers to breastfeed more often.
Consistent body temperature and healthy heart rhythm
A baby’s organism still has a lot to learn. For this reason, it is not uncommon for the heart rhythm or body temperature to become unbalanced at some point and thus too low or too strong.
However, if the child is carried close to the body, this stabilizes the body temperature and heart rate. These two values can therefore be optimized by using a baby carrier.
Prevention of hip dysplasia
Some babies suffer from hip dysplasia, i.e. a maldevelopment of their hip, in their first months of life. If such a finding is present, however, there is no need to panic because hip dysplasia can certainly be treated, for example, with special spreader pants.
In the baby carrier, however, the child assumes a squat position anyway. This position helps to effectively prevent the development of hip dysplasia.
