What are the Benefits of Baby Carrying?
Carrying your little one close brings a connection unlike any other, from supporting bonding and attachment to aiding physical and mental development, using an ergonomic baby sling is a true joy with many wonderful benefits for your family.
Read on to discover the wonderful benefits of baby carrying.
Secure Attachment
Babywearing keeps growing in popularity around the world and much research has been done looking into the benefits of skin to skin contact between parent and child that are crucial for little one's development. We are proud to say that our baby slings promote developing secure attachment with your little one.
But what does secure attachment mean?
Essentially it is connecting with your child so that they feel safe and secure - your baby can trust you will respond to their needs, allowing them to feel they have a secure base from which they can explore. It helps regulate emotions in your little one by soothing distress, in turn supporting calm and joy. This is fundamental for good lifelong mental health.
Common Babwearing Myths
Benefits of Using a Baby Carrier
Using a baby sling creates a cosy, snug environment for your child which is important for their development.
Reduce Colic and Reflux Symptoms: Soothing babies with reflux and colic in arms can become tiring and the upright position, supported by ergonomic baby slings, can provide a welcome respite for your arms. The tummy to tummy contact while being carried, gently massages the baby’s abdomen, which can also help with digestion, trapped wind and constipation.
Carried Babies Cry Less: Holding your baby near your heartbeat is calming for them, especially in the early months, as it mimics being in the womb. Research shows that babies carried for only 1 or 2 hours a day cry 43% less overall.
Respond Quickly to Their Needs: Research shows that by holding your little one close you are able to quickly learn, and react to their cues, enabling them to feel secure and calm. It has been proven that babies develop best when they feel relaxed and safe during these early months.
How baby carriers support development
Using an ergonomic carrier, such as a baby wrap, ring sling or the Cairis carrier, promotes healthy physical development.
Flat Head Syndrome: This can be caused by children spending too much time lying on their backs. Time spent in a sling, rather than in a pram, cot or on a mat, can help guard against this.
Healthy Hip Development: When holding your child in the ‘M’ shape, where their knees are higher than their bottom, you are supporting their natural position. This position is easily achieved when using an ergonomic carrier and, as acknowledged by the International Hip Dysplasia Institute, promotes healthy hip development in children.
Tummy Time: When your little one is upright in a sling it has many of the same benefits on a baby's muscles as 'tummy time', helping them to develop their core strength. This is essential for their physical development, from holding their heads up to crawling and walking.
Baby carriers support breastfeeding & bonding
Using a baby carrier can have a huge impact on breastfeeding mothers allowing you to quickly respond to feeding cues and nurse with confidence on the go. Carrying your child close has the added benefit of stimulating milk production in mothers. Learn more about baby carriers and breastfeeding.
Skin-to-Skin Time
Holding your child against your bare skin helps them to regulate their temperature, heart rate and breathing rates. It also produces oxytocin in the parent and baby, calming both, promoting lasting attachment and helping parents with postnatal depression. Woven slings make skin-to-skin time easy and the beauty of carrying is dads can do it too.
Babywearing has made so much of my journey as a first-time mom more fulfilling and less stressful. There is something truly magic about Oscha's fabrics called "sleepy dust" that can calm just about any situation for a baby, child, or even a caregiver.
I learned to use woven wraps shortly after lockdown started... I don’t know how I would have managed without it especially with the isolation of early motherhood in a pandemic. It allowed me to keep up with household tasks while soothing my baby. We also took daily walks with our Oscha wrap.
Even before my baby was born, I knew I wanted to babywear. What I didn’t expect was the amount of joy I would get from the wraps themselves. It feels so good to be able to wear my baby close to my heart in a beautiful wrap that we both love.
What Makes Oscha Baby Wraps Special?
Baby slings are the core of what we do here at Oscha. Since 2010 we have been carefully developing our fabric to find the best ethical and organic yarns to create the most beautiful and comfortable baby slings in the world. Read more about our story and our ethical practices
Co-founded by twin mum, Zoe, and her father, Mike, Oscha began when Zoe's love for carrying her babies became a day-to-day life-saver after her twin boys were born just 16 months after her daughter. Both designers, Mike & Zoe’s vision of a baby sling company that offers parents elegant, colourful baby wraps and carriers quickly became a reality.
