Babywearing... a little article that made me happy

I got the article below in an e-mail and I wanted to share. We've gotten a lot of questions on our wrap whenever we 'wear' Hyatt outside of the house. They range from questions of how we wrap it, where we bought it... all the way up to "That looks too confusing!" and "Do you ever put him down?"  We purchased a Dolcino woven wrap that can do a variety of carries (front, back, hip) from birth up to 35-40 pounds.

Hyatt loves being in his wrap. When he's awake he's constantly turning his head around to look at me, lights, outside noises... but because he's being worn, he has no worry of needing to cry to tell me he's not comfortable with something. He just tucks his head down or turns away. He sleeps through me cooking, vacuuming, you name it. He's content and secure. Plus, because I'm constantly moving with him, studies have shown that babies that are "worn" typically stand long before their peers because their sense of balance and equilibrium is constantly at work! Don't get me wrong... Hyatt gets a chance to lay down and stretch out throughout the day, but a majority of his time is in his wrap.

Insufficient touching in early years can have lifelong results. "In touching cultures, adult aggression is low, whereas in cultures where touch is limited, adult aggression is high. Studies of a variety of cultures show a correspondence between high rates of physical affection in childhood and low rates of adult physical violence." (National Geographic, Nov. 2002 pg. 39)

"Where infants are concerned, America is considered a 'low touch' society... Babies spend lengthy periods alone in cribs; we fear that unless they are allowed to self-soothe, they will grow up spoiled and dependent. Though we may carry our babies they are more likely to be 'containerized' then carried body to body.

What parents need to know is that of the five senses, touch is the most sensitive and well-developed at birth. Numerous studies have proven that touch is not just 'nice' for baby, but absolutely essential; to bonding, to growth and development, and to present and future emotional well-being.

Babies who are touched, played with and carried near the body, tend to have stronger bonds with their mothers-and the resulting secure attachment means a less dependent more self-reliant child in the long run" (Natural Awakenings 2009, Skinship-better bonding with baby by Rea Pica)

Want to learn more on this subject?Book Recommendation- The Vital Touch by Dr. Sharon Heller
 

Personal Challenge:

Next time you go somewhere by car, take your baby out of the car seat and carry them instead, or next time they are sleeping in the car seat (not in the car) and wake up fussing, instead of rocking the seat to soothe baby, take your baby out and soothe him in your arms.

Daddy's can wear babies too! http://www.drmomma.org/2010/06/real-men-wear-babies.html