The benefits of using a sling

The benefits of wearing your baby in a sling

Why wear your baby in a sling? Well there are so many brilliant reasons…

~ Firstly we are basically ‘cling mammals’. To keep our offspring safe we carry them around. Just like primates carry their babies - we’re made to do the same. Baby primates cling into mums fur, bur as were less hairy a sling comes in handy! 🐒And no this does NOT make your baby ‘clingy’ - there is no such thing.

~ That means baby’s feel safer, less stressed and so happier, when they are on our chests - and a sling facilitates this. It’s helping with their nervous system regulation. 😊🧠

~ So babies in a sling will cry less. In one study carrying babies for 3 hours a day reduced crying by nearly half. 🥲

~ Slings also help babies regulation of temperature and heart rate. 🌡❤️

~ babies who are carried spend more time in a state known as ‘quiet alertness’. Meaning calm but awake and taking everything in. This is an optimal state for learning new things. So it’s great for their developing brains 🧠

~ Carrying may reduce the risk of babies having a flat head (plagiocephaly). Because as they are spending time not lying with the back of their head flat down.

~ You get to be hands free. Massive win ! 🙌☕️

~ They keep you warm like a mini free hot water bottle in cold weather 🥶

So carry and cuddle your baby as much as you want to. It releases oxytocin for both of you. We are so used to seeing imagery babies being put down in prams, in cots, in Moses baskets etc. But modern societal norms often are not aligned with biologically normal baby behaviour, their needs and their expectations!

You are their safe space. They feel calmer when they can smell you, hear your voice, feel your heartbeat and be near food!

More about baby wearing & slings, and what to expect with your new baby in my brilliant online Postnatal Course - The Truth About Motherhood. You can buy it (£75) or it’s FREE to everyone on my Hypnobirthing & Complete Antenatal Course.

It can be really helpful to visit your local Sling Library to try out different carriers (a good and comfortable fit is important), and get expert support and advice on feeling confident using a baby carrier or sling. If you are in York then this is our local one, and is brilliant https://www.facebook.com/yorkslinglibrary/

Susan x

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