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.