ADVICE RATING |
 4.56 (Highly recommend) from 37 votes (2332 Visits) |
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Baby Wearing |
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by Izzy  (May 2006) (rank 5th) |
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Depending on the temperament your baby is born with (easy, mellow, high-need) it may be necessary for you to wear your baby. Before Matthew was born, I purchased a Baby Bjorn not really understanding the benefits of baby wearing. At 4 months, Matthew outgrew the Bjorn so that was the
end of that. A couple of months passed and life was getting hard for me. Matthew wanted to be held when awake and when he was asleep. I couldn’t do anything. It was hard to get something to eat, drink, and go to the bathroom. I was permanently parked in the lazy boy. Fortunately I had just joined an online support group for high-need babies and asked for their input. Most of the moms suggested several baby carriers. Being that my son is already big, I was pointed to the direction of the Ergo and the Sutemi. As I was researching which to get, I came across a lot of online articles about baby wearing. Here is what I found.
Benefits of baby wearing:
- Studies show that babies that are worn are much calmer and cry less than babies who aren’t.
- Babies are in the quiet-alert longer, which makes them receptive to learning.
- Babies experienced a wide variety of stimuli and helps brain development.
- The carrier provides a safe haven for babies that are in distress and provide quiet time when they are over stimulated.
- It frees up both of mom’s hands to do other things, like feeding herself and attending to other children.
- Mom can nurse discreetly.
- Promotes bonding with dad and other family members.
- Running errands become easier especially if the baby hates strollers.
- It provides mom with some exercise by carrying the extra weight!
There are a lot more benefits, but these are the ones that I find the most important for me.
I ultimately chose the Ergo and was extremely happy about it. It allowed me to carry Matthew around the house while I do housework without breaking my back. Using the carrier also gave me confidence to go outside the house. Matthew hated being in the stroller. He only tolerated it for short periods of time so I restricted outings to ones that are less than 1 hour (and that was stretching it!). With the Ergo, I was able to go out to the malls without stress. Often times, Matthew fell asleep in the Ergo so I could leisurely enjoy my time.
There are a lot of types of baby carriers so make sure you research the one that is right for you. There are slings and front/back-type carriers. Slings are good for newborns, backpack type carriers are good for older babies, though some have newborn attachments. Here are a few things to consider which one is right for you.
- Is it recommended for use for long stretches of time? Or only for short periods?
- What is the max weight that it can carry?
- Is it designed for newborns that can’t support their own heads yet?
- How easy is it to wear and take off?
- How expensive is it?
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since week one. They are great and only take a couple of tries to get the hang of it. A great website to check out is: 
