Hush little baby - babywearing benefit #1

Whew! What a night! Zoe (2) was wide awake before the crack of dawn this morning. What time? Try 4:30am. Wide awake. I'm not sure why. But I do know that wearing her in my Beco Baby Carrier saved my sanity until she could quiet herself enough to fall back asleep.

She came down with a hacking cough the other day, but last night stopped long enough for her to fall asleep at bedtime, but come 4:30am her coughing returned. So, awake she was. I tried calming her and nursing her but she insisted on telling me it wasn't "night night" time anymore. After a trip to the potty, I asked her if she wanted to sling and she said yes so I grabbed my Beco which has come to be my very dear friend as of late, put her in, sat on my purple exercise ball by Hugger Mugger and bounced her around for awhile. Her cough quieted for some time but she was just too awake to settle in. I was just glad to be able to sit and comfort her. Finally, my husband took her downstairs until she was ready to go back to sleep.

Why am I telling you all of this? Because, this is just one of the many nights I have been thankful for finding out about babywearing. No, she didn't fall asleep in the carrier this time, but I was able to hold her and calm her down without my arms falling off from holding her.

Babywearing benefit #1: Babies who are held often, cry less.

Babies have many reasons for crying. Over time, parents learn to discern whether their baby is crying because they’re hungry, wet, tired, lonely, or afraid. Studies show that infants need to be held and in the absence of touch, can die. What mother hasn't rushed to her crying babe and effectively stopped all tears by merely picking up and holding the baby close to her heart. It's natural, it's normal, we don't think about it. Holding your baby can simply reduce the amount that they cry. Researchers Hunziker and Barr conducted a study where this was proven to be true (Pediatrics, 1986, pp. 641-648). (Read the full article here.) Happy baby, happy mama. (Happy mama, happy daddy.)

But what happens when you have to put your baby back down because there are those dishes you have to wash, or you have to go to the bathroom, take a shower, sweep the floor, get some work done, have a life....? My daughter was content on her own some of the time, but like any other baby, she wanted to be near me and cried when she wasn’t. Putting her down left her unsettled and discontent. I never got the hang of swaddling her, despite lessons from the hospital nurse, lactation consultant, my mother, and my husband. She loved to be swaddled but I could never get it snug enough. Once I learned to wear her, there was hardly ever a reason for her to cry. Even now, wearing her in a sling helps her wind down for her mid-day naps.

Leaving babies to cry for long periods of time is confusing, stressful, and unnecessary. When you hold your baby, you teach them that you are there to meet their needs, to protect them, help them, and guide them. Holding them does not spoil them, in fact it teaches them that you are the one they can trust and depend on. And at this early age, that is a very important lesson to teach. Noted pediatrician Dr. William Sears and his wife Martha Sears have written several articles and books, covering topics such as spoiling and babywearing as well as parenting in general.

Of course, it’s not necessarily the sling that soothes the baby, but a parent’s consistent, loving touch. Babywearing just helps facilitate the process. Particularly for fussy infants, but helpful for any baby, babywearing while you walk, work, and otherwise engage in normal everyday life, can help your baby cry less while adjusting to life outside the womb by giving him a warm, familiar place to hang out.

Click here to read about more benefits of wearing your baby.