Keeping your new baby close to your heart in a wrap or sling not only feels natural, it makes things a little bit easier in those busy first few months.
If you notice that it seems to make baby calmer, it's not a fluke — science has proven that wearing your baby can benefit their physical and emotional health.
What better time to celebrate all that this long-celebrated practice has to offer than International Babywearing Week?
The awareness campaign, which is spearheaded by Babywearing International, encourages the formation of virtual events and gatherings which celebrate the benefits of babywearing.
Increased advocacy for the practice and education about its origins and potential health benefits are at the center of these events, and more information can be found on the event's website.
What can babywearing do for you and your little one?
It can do wonders:
It can improve breastfeeding rates: Breastfeeding offers babies unique immunities and nutrients that help them to grow up strong and stay healthy, and babywearing is linked with more consistent breastfeeding. In one study, moms who used a worn carrier for two hours daily during baby's first month exhibited higher breastfeeding rates at the three and five month marks.
It can reduce GERD and spit up: GERD is a fairly common though uncomfortable condition for infants, and it can lead to a great deal of fussiness as well as frequent spit ups. Babywearing naturally keeps little ones upright after a meal, the best position to reduce these symptoms. Frequent touch has also been correlated with less frequent spit ups in babies, which babywearing facilitates.
It uses up less of your energy: Though cradling baby in your arms is a labor of love, just about every parent eventually gets a related arm or shoulder cramp. Babywearing reduces the physical burden of carrying a child by 16%.
The lengthy list of things to love about babywearing continues, as this helpful infographic makes clear.
Learn more about the science behind babywearing below and at We The Parents.
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