Interest in baby wearing has soared over the last several years and there’s good reason for it. It’s not just about the incredibly practical benefits that baby wearing brings to mothers juggling a thousand things at once, but the exciting scientific research and backing that is coming to light, suggesting significant benefits to both babies and mothers as a result of baby wearing.

 

Below we cite research that covers how baby wearing has been shown to increase mother and baby bonding, reduce infant crying, increase maternal response to cues from their children, boost babies’ core muscle development and so much more. As a brand created by mothers, we feel grateful to have the opportunity to bring a product to mothers that becomes such an integral and important part of those first months of our children’s lives.

 

 

 

 Through enhanced physical contact, or baby carrying, we can promote positive mother-infant interactions and increased maternal responsiveness to babies cues which as a result can lead to less tears and discomfort for our children. Research suggests that infant carrying practices can shape the infant's early social environment and subsequent development in a positive way.

 

 In a randomized controlled trial, 99 mother-infant pairs were assigned to an increased carrying or control group. At the time of peak crying (6 weeks of age), infants who received supplemental carrying cried and fussed 43% less overall, and 51% less during the evening hours which as most of us have experienced, are the more trying hours during those early days!

 The study also proposed that baby wearing increased contentment and feeding frequency of the babies and reduced the the duration of “normal crying”, altering the typical pattern of crying and fussing in the first 3 months of life.

 Hunziker, U.A., & Barr, R.G. (1986). Increased carrying reduces infant crying: A randomized controlled trial. Pediatrics, 77(5), 641–8.

 

 When babies are placed in inward-facing baby wraps, they can have more frequent verbal and facial interactions with their mothers and fathers which can lead to a positive impact on their language capabilities later in life.

Increased verbal interactions even done with premature babies has shown to benefit their cognitive and language capabilities at 7 and 18 months of age as cited by a study done in 2014 (Caskey, Stephens, Tucker, & Vohr, 2014). There was another study in 2008 by the National Literacy Trust in Britain, that showed positive benefits to rates of speech by babies that were pushed in inward-facing strollers, as opposed to away-facing.

The research shows that when your child is facing towards you as opposed to outwards, there is an increased verbal interaction with your child which can help their language development further down the line.

 

 The benefits of baby wearing may also include helping your child’s core muscle development.

“Babies worn by their mothers and fathers are constantly physically responding to the wearer’s muscle movements. As the caregiver bends over, the baby tightens his or her core muscles to maintain a stable position. This process is repeated time and time again whilst being worn and can develop core muscles in the baby. (Brentnall- Compton, 2011).”

Despite the title of the study, we would never promote baby wearing as a replacement to tummy time in infants, however, to know your baby is still getting that physical development whilst in the wrap in all planes of motion (forward/back/up/down/ diagonals) is a wonderful added bonus to having your baby close and connected in your wrap.

Brentnall-Compton, A. (2011, November/December). Why carried babies don’t need tummy time. Carrying On, 1, 1, 3.

 

 A calming heartbeat, a familiar smell, a sense of warmth and protection. Just some of the reasons why Skin to Skin (STS) has been shown to enhance bonding and attachement between parents and baby. More recent studies have been done looking in particular at the impact on the fathers’ and babys’ relationship through STS and have found a strong positive relationship between Father-infant skin-to-skin contact and babies behavioural response, fathers’ interaction behaviour, fathers’ stress and anxiety and attachment and bonding¹.

 

Baby wearing helps to make STS contact more practical in our modern day environments and even without the deepest STS contact, it is thought to reflect many of the bonding and attachment positive associations having the baby so close, in the upright position, near your heartbeat and inward facing.

 
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