Babywearing = keeping your baby happy + getting on with your life.
With equipment such as strollers, baby capsules and bouncers, babies are cradled and caressed less than in the past. Carrying your baby is a brilliant way of staying in constant touch while going about your daily routine. Baby wearing is one of the oldest traditions of parenting around the world. Hands free cuddling all day!
"The single most important child rearing practice to be adopted for the development of emotional and social healthy infants and children is to carry the newborn/infant on the body of the mother/caretaker all day long..." -- James Prescott, Ph.D
Good for Mummy and Daddy
Using a sling is convenient. Unpadded slings can be folded small enough to fit into a diaper bag or handbag and pulled out for all those times baby wants or needs to be carried.
 · Carry your baby and go anywhere. Negotiate stairs, escalators and sand with ease .
· Avoid stressful moments. Take your baby out of the stroller when they have had enough of shopping. A carried baby will fuss less in queues.
· Breastfeed easily and discreetly. Your baby can breastfeed, sleep and be comforted all in the same place.
· Carry your baby and have your hands free to look after older siblings or do the housework.
· Provide a safe and protective environment for your baby. Know that your baby is safe near you
· Carrying your baby has great health benefits for you. Go for a brisk walk with your baby in her/his sling, you will enjoy the dual benefits of walking and weight training
· Babywearing helps you become attuned to your babies needs
· Rock baby to sleep in the sling instead of getting frustrated in a rocking chair
· A walk with baby in sling is wonderful for soothing jaded and tired nerves
· And finally cuddle your baby all day!
Great for Baby
· Babywearing helps newborns adapt to life outside the womb
· Carried babies cry less and are less fussy. Research has shown that babies who are carried cry (on average) 43% less overall and 54% less during the evening hours (1). In cultures where babies are carried almost continuously, babies cry much less than those in non-carrying cultures (2-6).
· Carrying maximises brain development, this is because the gentle movement of carrying stimulates the cerebellum, which is the part of the brain that governs the smooth coordination of muscles and is also related to emotional behaviour
· Babies in slings spend more time in the state of quiet alertness. This is the behavioural state in which an infant is most content and best able to interact with his environment. It may be called the optimal state of learning for a baby. Researchers have also reported that carried babies show enhanced visual and auditory alertness
· According to studies at Tulane University, baby slings offer the single most successful method for optimal neurological development in infants
· Carried babies are protected from overstimulation
· Babies are quickly able to develop a sense of security and trust when they are carried. They become independent and self-reliant children. Carrying is great for baby’s emotional development
· Wonderful for colicky babies or babies with reflux
Pinky McKay, author of ‘Parenting by Heart’ and ‘100 Ways to Calm the Crying’
“Touch and movement are as vital to your baby’s development as the nutrients in her food. Carrying your baby will help her thrive, while the comforting warmth of your body, your familiar smell and the sound of your heartbeat will help her feel secure. A baby carrier gives you an extra pair of hands as you hold your baby close.”
References
1. Hunziker, U. A. and Barr, R, G. (1986). Increased carrying reduces infant crying: a randomized controlled trial. Pediatrics, 77, 641-8.
2. Barr, R. G. (1990). The Early Crying Paradox: A Modest Proposal. Human Nature, 1, 355-389.
3. Barr, R. G., Konner, M., Bakeman, R. and Adamson, L. (1991). Crying in !Kung San infants: a test of the cultural specificity hypothesis. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 33, 601-10.
4. Brazelton, T. B., Robey, J. S., Collier, G. A. (1969). Infant development in the Zintandeco Indians of Southern Mexico. Pediatrics, 44, 274-290.
5. Lee, K. (1994). The crying pattern of Korean infants and related factors. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 36, 601-7.
6. LeVine, R.A., LeVine, S., Dixon, S., Richman, A., Leiderman, P.H., Keefer, C. and Brazelton, T.B. (1994). Child Care and Culture: Lessons from Africa. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
7. Anisfeld, E., Casper, V., Noyzce, M. and Cunningham, N. (1990). Does infant carrying promote attachment? An experimental study of the effects of increased physical contact on the development of attachment. Child Development, 61, 1617-1627.
8. Whiting, J. W. M. (1981). Environmental constraints on infant care practices. In R. H. Munroe, R. L. Munroe & B. B. Whiting (Eds.), Handbook of cross-cultural human development, New York: Garland STPM Press.
9. Ludington-Hoe SM, Swinth JY. (1996). Developmental aspects of kangaroo care. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing, 25, 691-703.
10. Pelaez-Nogueras M, Field TM, Hossain Z, Pickens J. (1996). Depressed mothers' touching increases infants' positive affect and attention in still-face interactions. Child Development, 67, 1780-92.
article source: www.littlekoala.com.au
http://littlekoala.com.au/store/WsDefault.asp?Cat=BabycarriersSlings
Babywearing reviews, articles forums, links, and pictures. You have to register to access the forums information; registration is free and painless and the information on the forums is priceless the website is devoted to Babywearing.
http://www.thebabywearer.com/
Nine In Nine Out (NINO)
Not for profit Babywearing advocacy organization. Groups nationwide, monthly newsletters, resources, and more! Sponsor of the 2006 International Babywearing Conference in Portland, OR.
Babywearing Yahoo Group
Join this group and talk with other parents about the joys (and sometimes trials) of Babywearing and related topics. You must have a Yahoo account to join.
Attachment Parenting International API
La Leche League's FAQ on Babywearing
http://www.lalecheleague.org/FAQ/babywearing.html
"If You Hold That Baby All The Time..." - The Natural Child Project
http://www.naturalchild.org/guest/pam_leo.html
MotheringDotCommune 's Illustrated Guide To Babywearing
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=182668
MamaToto....everything you could possibly ask about babywearing and assundry devices, answered. Also, a great set of videos about how to wear a baby with a towel, pants, or shirt if you experience true chaos and need to keep a child attached to to you.
http://www.mamatoto.org/
Thoughts from leading parenting expert Dr. Sears and the informative, inspiring list: 43 Reasons to Wear Your Baby on Your Body.....
http://www.lotusfertility.com/Instinctive_Parenting_and_Baby_Wearing.html
There are a lot of great Babywearing articles on askdrsears.com
Dr. Sears is the origional attached parent, and author of many bestselling books.
And for some lighter reading, check out this celebrity sling sighting site.
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Natural Parenting 
