Carrying your child on your body with either a baby carrier or sling has become particularly popular among new parents in recent years. And we completely understand why! It is both practical and beneficial for the bond between the parent and the child.
Super practical
For the first four months, your baby will be best off lying down as much as possible. Here, you can use a wrap or sling, so your child gets closeness while your back is still relieved. It is recommended to use the sling for a maximum of 20 minutes at a time, and at most a couple of times throughout the day. From +4 months, and when the baby starts to hold its head up by itself, you can begin to use a baby carrier, which provides good support and the possibility to turn the head. Now your child can sit in the carrier for longer periods, but at most an hour at a time. It is important to remember that most baby carriers have minimum weight requirements.
You should also be aware of how long, but also how your child sits in the baby carrier. Until the child can hold its head up by itself, it should be placed facing your chest, with legs pulled up like a frog. This way, your child gets the correct hip position, as well as the opportunity for eye contact with you. If your little one loves to move its arms, they should not be restricted. Remember to vary the sitting position, as a fixed position is not healthy.
By using a baby carrier or sling, you will still be able to carry out everyday tasks while keeping your baby close. So just strap the little one to your belly, vacuum the floor, or use the extra body weight to do some squats
If you need to go out with your baby, where there is no room for a stroller or pram, or if you have a child that needs a lot of body contact and cannot be put down, a baby carrier or sling can be a good solution.
Security and calm
In addition to being a super practical way to keep your child close, it also has other benefits in terms of security and good contact between you and your child. Since the baby sits close to you, belly to belly, it can feel your warmth, smell your scent, and perhaps most importantly, hear your heartbeat. These three factors, which are very familiar to your child, help create a great sense of calm in your child and not least a good connection between you and your child.
If you have a restless child with belly discomfort, it will especially benefit from being carried, as these types of children sometimes have a great need for security. The security creates the necessary calm, and the warmth from your body will also alleviate the discomfort in the belly. Since infants should not be laid on their stomach, the child's extended position in a baby carrier or sling combined with your body heat is a really good combination for the child's tummy troubles. However, remember to take your child's age into account! In the first 3 months, the child's back is in a C-shape and should therefore be rounded when being carried.
In addition to being extended, your child is also upright in the carrier, which an ear-infected child can benefit from! If your child suffers from middle ear infections, which many other children do, the upright position can alleviate the pressure that unfortunately can build up in the ear when your child is lying down. So remember to keep the little one upright if the ears are hurting
/ Team Mammashop
Psssst… Read along in next week's post, where we will write a bit about the difference between baby carriers and slings and what their strengths are individually.
