When you Google ?baby carrier? you get 1,910,000 results. Googling ?baby sling? brings up 710,000 results. Anyway you look at it, those are overwhelming numbers. So, what is the difference between a baby carrier and a baby sling? Ultimately not much, at the end of the day they all serve the same purpose, it is just all about finding the right kind that suits your needs and provides the comfort and versatility you are looking for.
Whether you are a single parent or you have a partner, it is likely you have adapted and relied on your basic survival skills, requiring you to master the art of multitasking. Juggling two to three things simultaneously can be exhausting, but a baby sling or baby carrier can give you hand, maybe even two hands.
Overall, slings provide you the closest connection to your baby as they are made with soft flexible material that allows you to hold your baby close. Many baby slings are very versatile and can change into multiple carrying positions. Carriers can be quite structured and offer more material for padding. They do not normally offer the variety of positions that some slings do, but they are strong and many carry well on the back. When looking for a babywearing device it is best to try multiple types until you find one that works well for both you and your baby.
Using a baby sling or baby carrier can help you to accomplish your day to day tasks, it is referred to as Babywearing. Babywearing with a baby sling has been around for centuries, but it is recently becoming more popular thanks largely to the media and celebrity Moms and Dads like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. The benefits of babywearing are beneficial to both you and your baby and the day to day convenience of babywearing makes it a practical and accessible benefit to any carrying parent.
It is a common sight in tribal cultures to see women carrying their babies in a sling. This frees up their hands allowing them to work all the while their babies are snug and secure. More importantly than just the convenience of babywearing, it also fulfills a baby's need for physical contact, affection, security, stimulation and movement. The nurturing touch stimulates growth-promoting hormones, improves intellectual and motor development, and helps regulate babies' temperature, heart rate, and sleep/wake patterns. Babies who receive a constant nurturing touch gain weight faster, nurse better, cry less, are calmer, and have better intellectual and motor development. Moreover, cultures high in physical affection, touch, holding or carrying, rate lower in adult physical violence. In addition to these obvious benefits, babywearing has also been known to reduce post-partum depression in mothers.
Anyway you slice it, even when parents have their hands free to accomplish their multitude of daily tasks, it is still a balancing act. Equip yourself by using a baby sling or baby carrier as a tool to accomplish your goals while bonding and nurturing with your baby.
Babywearing is rapidly gaining popularity as more and more parents discover the many benefits it has to offer. Babywearing is a convenient, portable, hands free method of transporting your baby with ease, and gives babies a sense of calm, security and trust when they are carried in a sling wrap or baby carrier.
Recently I spoke with Keren Levi, founder of My Baby Nest?, to get her insight on the babywearing phenomenon.
Corey: How long has babywearing been around?
Keren: Babywearing has been around for thousands of years, and has only very recently been reintroduced into western culture. In fact, it's still a common sight to see women in tribal cultures carrying babies around on their fronts, sides or backs in slings, as it makes it easier for them to work this way.
Corey: Why is babywearing so important?
Keren: Babywearing fulfills a baby's need for physical contact, affection, security, stimulation and movement. The nurturing touch stimulates growth-promoting hormones, improves intellectual and motor development, and helps regulate babies' temperature, heart rate, and sleep/wake patterns. The babies who receive a nurturing touch will gain weight faster, nurse better, cry less, are calmer, and have better intellectual and motor development.
Corey: When it comes to babywearing, what are some of the benefits to a child's mental development?
Keren: Babies carried in a sling spend a greater amount of time in the "quiet alert" behavioral state, the optimal state for learning. They are intimately involved in their parent's world, more exposed to and engaged in what is going on around them. Recent studies have reported that babies carried in a sling show advanced speech development and enhanced visual and auditory alertness.
Corey: I've read that babywearing is also very beneficial to the mother after pregnancy, can you tell me a little bit about that?
Keren: Yes it is true. Studies have found that Post-Partum Depression occurs much less in mothers who wear their babies. This may be due to several factors, including the mother's hormonal stimulation and her baby's reduced crying. Babies who were carried for at least 3 hours a day cried 43% less during the day and 51% less at night.
Corey: I take it with the reduced crying, babies that are carried in a sling are better behaved, are they also easier to discipline?
Keren: The deeper the connection between parent and child, the easier discipline will be. Wearing your baby in the sling will enhance this connection. Credible research comparing well-connected children with poorly connected children has shown that connected children are more secure, settled, trusting, sociable, considerate, cooperative, willing to share, empathetic, sensitive, positive, adaptable, confident, affectionate, persistent and eager to learn.
Corey: For parents new to babywearing, what are some recommendations when is comes to purchasing a baby carrier?
Keren: Parents interested in babywearing should purchase a soft, flexible, stretchy baby carrier rather than one of the carriers with bulky padding and a frame. Bulky carriers are often uncomfortable for both the parent and the baby. For the parent, a bulky carrier will cause discomfort to the back and shoulders and for the baby they often they spread the baby's little legs too far apart. So I would recommend purchasing a sling or some sort of soft fabric carrier that is designed to accommodate a baby's growth.
The Baby Nest Carrier ? is the next step in the evolution of babies on the go: as simple as the traditional carrier, it provides better support and more evenly distributes the baby's weight; as sturdy and practical as the modern baby carrier, it is less bulky and keeps you in direct contact with your baby for constant bonding.