Why Use Baby Slings?

Baby slings have been used in one form or another for thousands of years - probably since prehistoric times. Parents or grandparents would wrap and tie a length of cloth or animal skin around their waist to hold a baby safely against their body while they worked. Of course in those days there were no strollers and a baby left on the ground would be at risk of being attacked by wild animals or stung by insects. It also kept the baby warm and if it was the mother carrying it, the baby could feed on demand without any fuss.

These days we can be pretty sure that a baby will be safe in a play area or crib at home, and in a stroller out of doors. But there are still plenty of advantages to carrying a baby in a sling, at least some of the time.

For newborn babies, it can be a shock to suddenly find themselves in a cold, noisy and sometimes hostile world after 9 months in the cozy environment of the mother's womb. Bright lights, sudden noise or movements, changing temperatures and no longer being safely enclosed can be confusing and scary for the baby. Some parents swaddle babies, wrapping them in a sheet to give them the feeling of being securely enclosed. But a baby sling can do the same thing and keep the baby warm at the same time.

The constant movement of the parent's body is also very reassuring for the baby. Again it is like being carried around in the womb. Even if the parent is sitting down, the baby can hear the heartbeat and familiar noises of the digestive system! All this helps to give the baby a feeling of security.

For all of these reasons babies that are carried in slings cry a lot less, which means that both they and the parents are under less stress. A baby can be pretty sure of getting its needs met if it is right there under the parent's eyes, and the advantage for the parents is that they are not trying to deal with a baby that never stops crying.

At the same time, the baby carry sling allows baby and parent to bond. This is particularly important for fathers and for mothers who are not breastfeeding, who may not otherwise have much time holding the baby. Physical contact between parent and baby is vitally important for the bonding process and a sling is one way to make sure that you get plenty of it, while leaving your arms free to do other things.

Most baby slings are designed to carry newborns but many of them are flexible to other sizes and positions of baby. Newborns are usually carried against the chest but as the baby grows bigger and heavier this becomes less convenient and you may want to switch to carrying the child on your hip or on your back. Some convertible baby carriers will allow you to do this.

What if you have twins? Well, it is possible to find a sling that will carry two babies, but you probably will not want to do this for very long. An alternative is to carry one baby this way and the other in a stroller. Be sure to change around so that both children have equal shares of the cozy secure warmth of being next to your body in baby slings.

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by SolveYourProblem.com : 2009

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