28 May How To Carry Your baby In A Sling

How to carry your baby in a sling

Why carry your baby in a carrier sling?

Carrying your baby in a carrier sling is a lovely way to meet needs for warmth and closeness, and is not just for mothers. Fathers can also do this and should be encouraged to carry baby so they too can enjoy the benefits of being close to their baby and the baby has the opportunity to develop closeness to him. All parents can nature their babies in this way.

Babies carried in slings are calmer and cry less often. In most cultures, when babies are held almost constantly, they are typically in a quiet alert state and rarely cry for more than a brief period

Slings provide a gentle way of transitioning babies from the calm environment of the womb to that of the outside world. Babies in carriers continue to be rocked by their mother’s movements and to hear their mother’s heartbeat or fathers adult’s rhythms. This helps to regulate their own systems.

Babies in slings are more receptive to learning and display enhanced visual and auditory alertness.

It facilitates bonding for both parents. When babies are held closely, the parent and the baby can see each other’s faces, leading to frequent verbal and nonverbal interaction, enhancing speech and social development.

Babies who are carried in a sling facing away from the parent get a bird’s eye view of the world and its wonders. This kind of gentle stimulation enables babies to learn about their environment at their own pace. This option can be used once a baby has good neck control (5 to 6 months) for 20 minutes maximum at the start and a child should not sleep facing out. This facing out position can be uncomfortable for the carrying parent so use this position only if both are comfortable.

Experiencing a wide variety of stimuli helps baby’s brains to develop to their full potential. Try different positions with your baby such as hip carries (appropriate from Newborn) or back carries (best achieved with stable trunk control).

Carrying parents are more easily able to calm their babies if frightened, providing a safe haven, when they are held close in a carrier.

It is easy to nurse discreetly when your baby is in a sling as the fabric shields both the baby and the mother from the public. Nursing in a sling is most successful when both feeding and crying skills are mastered separately.