Dr Rosie Knowles of Sheffield Sling library and author of Why Babywearing Matters
Why babywear? There are lots of reasons, not just to encourage our clients to be able to soothe and carry their newborns hands free, but for us to become confident using a number of different types of slings and carriers.
When we can support parents to learn how to wear their baby, we encourage bonding behaviours, create practical advantages like hands free parenting, provide a powerful way to increase responsive feeding and parenting and teach parents what normal newborns expect. Most importantly, it keeps the dyad together, enhancing attachment, keeping oxytocin high and therefore protecting good mental health, breastfeeding and overall health and happiness!
It can be useful to have some tips to counter the more common challenges that parents encounter when learning to carry their baby and a safety checklist to pass on.
We suggest accessing as much learning as you can if you didn’t babywear yourself. If you are able, why not volunteer at your local sling library or do a babywearing peer supporter course. We recommend the Slingababy courses: Lorette is a Developing Doula and the most highly skilled teacher.
The following article is by Helen Fortes and Antonia Gorman, Developing Doulas who are both babywearing consultants.
What is babywearing?
Carrying your baby in a sling or carrier also referred to as ‘babywearing’ is an ancient tradition that is being rediscovered by western cultures and is still very common in South America, Asia and Africa. It is a fantastic way of keeping your baby happy whilst being able to get on with everyday life.
What are the evidence-based benefits?
- It Makes Babies Happy
Studies show that babies that are carried in slings cry less than those that are not carried, this means that they spend more time in the ‘quiet alert’ state that enables learning as they can interact and take in their surroundings. A study in 1986 by Hunziker and Barr, was the first to determine this and stated that the reduction in crying was 43%.
A further study (Esposito et al, 2013) showed “Infants under 6 months of age carried by a walking mother immediately stopped voluntary movement and crying and exhibited a rapid heart rate decrease, compared with holding by a sitting mother.”
All of the evidence confirms that babywearing leads to calmer happier babies.
- It promotes bonding with parents (not just mums) and improves breastfeeding outcomes.
Studies show that close contact with parents increases oxytocin levels (the love hormone). Oxytocin promotes bonding with your baby and means that you can learn to recognise your baby’s cues while in close contact, which is facilitated by the sling/baby-carrier.
Increased oxytocin levels also lead to improved breastfeeding success as oxytocin is the hormone responsible for milk ‘let-down’.
- It enables you to get to places that a buggy simply won’t reach and keeps baby safe in crowded places.
Anyone who has pushed a buggy across a beach, muddy field or through deep snow knows how hard it can be! Babywearing makes many things more accessible and simpler, it makes public transport easier, eliminates the need to use a lift in busy shopping centres and crowded places are a breeze to navigate without pushing a buggy through crowds of people. It is also much nicer for your baby as they get to see the world from your point of view, no more views of knees and bags!
What types of sling can be used with new-borns and what are the pros and cons of each type?
Stretchy wraps – a long piece of stretchy fabric that is tied around the parent to create a cross pocket that baby sits in with a central panel that is pulled up over baby
Pros: Easy to use with a little practice (good video tutorials online –
Can be left on between uses to save re-tying
Fit different sized parents easily – one size fits most
Relatively inexpensive
Cons: The tails can be long, so need to be tied away to prevent a trip hazard
Can look daunting as it is a long piece of fabric and you have to tie it yourself
Close Caboo – a type of stretchy wrap that has two pieces of fabric sewn together in a cross at the back that comes over the shoulder, crosses over the chest and fastens with rings that are used to tighten to carrier. It has a separate central panel that is tied over the cross once baby is in.
Pros: Easy to use as it is sewn together to create the part where baby sits so it is essentially ‘pre-tied’ which makes it quick and easy to put on
Can be left on between uses to make it even quicker to get baby in
Soft stretchy fabric
Cons: Because it is ‘pre tied’ it’s not as adjustable for all body shapes so some people may find it uncomfortable
The rings used to tighten it can be tricky to get to grips with
Ring Sling – Made from a single piece of woven fabric, usually around 2m long, with two rings sewn into the end. The other end of the fabric (tail) is threaded through these rings to form a loop.
Pros: Quick to put on and take off
Easy to breast and bottle feed in
Easy to take off with a sleeping baby in it
Cons: One shoulder carry so weight is not evenly distributed
Can be tricky to learn to use but once you have the technique very quick to adjust
Some Full Buckle carriers – check manufacturer’s instructions for weight limits and size guide – a panel of structured fabric with a waistband that has buckles on each end that clip together and shoulder straps that have a buckle on the end that clips to a buckle on the side of the panel.
Pros: Easy to use – usually three buckles to clip together to secure baby
Quick to put on – once it has been adjusted to fit the user
Cons: Can be too wide and deep for newborns who haven’t yet ‘uncurled’
Most full buckles need ‘cinching’ to make the base narrow enough to fit a newborn baby
Sling safety
Breathing and Airways
The most important thing to consider when looking at safety in slings is your baby’s airways – is there room to breathe?
There should be absolutely no fabric covering the baby’s face at all. This includes sleeping hoods and hats – make sure they cover the head if needed, but not the face.
Consider their position – is their chin on their chest? If so, they could find it difficult to breathe, so it is recommended that you change their position immediately, their chin should be up off their chest. It is for this reason that horizontal cradle positions are not recommended, instead an upright position is preferred.
When carrying your baby, their head should be positioned somewhere above your breasts and below your chin on the bony part of your chest. If you do not have breasts, then somewhere below your chin is fine. That way you can see where you are going!
Preventing falls
Essentially there are two ways to make sure your baby remains safe in a sling or carrier – ensuring that they have adequate support below them with no room to slip through and making sure that their back support is high enough that they are unable to lean too far and flop out.
Other risks
Finally, be aware of external hazards such as tripping over things or bumping into things beside or above you. Remember, tripping or falling with your child in a carrier is likely to result in a better outcome for you and your child than if you were carrying them in your arms as you often have hands free to protect your child and or break your fall.
Common babywearing myths
‘Will make the baby clingy’
Babywearing helps to create a secure bond with the parent, studies show that babies that have a secure attachment to their parents are less clingy and more confident (anisfield et al 1990)
‘They’ll never learn to walk’
Babywearing is dynamic as the baby moves when the parent moves, this builds core strength and an improved sense of balance.
‘It’s hard work; it will hurt your back’
Build up slowly with babywearing, if you carry a baby from birth your muscle strength will increase as your baby grows and puts on weight. Carriers are designed to spread the weight of baby across your body and keeping the baby close to your centre of gravity will stop any slouching or leaning. Pushing a pram can also put pressure on your lower back by leaning to push the pram. Babywearing also helps to build core muscle strength as you are carrying a weight around with as you move, twist turn and bend.
‘It’s difficult to learn’
All things baby related are a new skill to learn, feeding a baby, getting them dressed and learning their cries are all new skills that require learning and practise. Babywearing is the same and there are lots of resources out there to help learn this new skill.
‘It’s inaccessible for poorer parents’
In comparison to a travel system or pram, babywearing is relatively inexpensive, especially if you choose a carrier suitable from new-born to toddler and there are carriers available to suit all budgets. Lots of areas in the UK have sling libraries now, which means you can hire slings for a small fee each month. It is worth exploring this in order to find a sling that fits you well, even if you later purchase your own.
References:
Hunziker and Barr (1986) Increased carrying reduces infant crying: a randomized controlled trial. Pediatrics. May 1986;77(5):641-8.
Esposito G, Yoshida S, Ohnishi R, Tsuneoka Y, Rostagno Mdel C, Yokota S, Okabe S, Kamiya K, Hoshino M, Shimizu M, Venuti P, Kikusui T, Kato T, Kuroda KO (2013) Infant calming responses during maternal carrying in humans and mice. Curr Biol. May 2013 6;23(9):739-45.Knowles, R. Why Babywearing matters. Pinter& Martin Ltd.
