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Babywearing - Articles
From the “Critique My Wrap” Series, or Why Babywearing Consultants Are Needed
Why Do We Need Babywearing in Slings?
Once upon a time (not so long ago, actually), there were no baby strollers, and people carried their children. In their arms, in various scarves and pieces of cloth, and in some places in special carrying devices. I won’t go into the history.
Nowadays, carrying children has become something of a trend, you could even say a fashion. But that is something superficial and imposed from the outside. In reality, people carry their children because there is a need, a necessity, and a desire — on the part of both the child and the mother.
The need to carry arises when a mother simply wants to meet her child’s natural needs, because being in an adult’s arms is precisely that — a need.
The need to carry becomes even greater when a mother has to move around a lot and often, rather than staying at home all the time. Getting around with a stroller is not always easy or convenient everywhere, and mothers with strollers often lack mobility.
And the need becomes even greater when there is more than one child.
Comfortable, safe, and physiological babywearing in a good sling is a tremendous help in everyday life with a child, as well as in such important matters as breastfeeding. It also makes it much easier to get through difficult stages of a child’s development together, such as newborn colic, difficulties falling asleep, and teething. You will only be able to enjoy all these benefits if carrying is genuinely comfortable and easy for you.
Are All Slings Equally Good?
There are heated discussions on forums about how, why, when, and where to carry a child, but the hottest topic is still what to carry them in. Which slings are bad, which are good, which are the most beautiful, and so on.
Anyone who uses a conventional baby carrier is practically treated as an enemy of the people. Well, primarily an enemy to themselves, of course, because even the fanciest conventional carrier cannot compare with a simple woven wrap in terms of carrying comfort (provided you know how to wrap it, naturally).
However, people usually carry their children in non-physiological devices out of ignorance, and because large chain stores sell only expensive, heavily promoted brands of conventional carriers or cheap, low-quality slings, while salespeople generally know nothing about physiological babywearing.
The press also frequently publishes alarming information suggesting that carrying in a sling can be dangerous, unfortunately generalizing and treating every type of sling as equally dangerous. As a result, a great many rumors and myths based on a lack of knowledge surround both slings and babywearing.
It is precisely to reduce this lack of knowledge, and to help more mothers, fathers, and children enjoy babywearing, that consultants like me and my colleagues exist. We recommend using safe carriers and following safety guidelines when carrying.
Our Goal as Babywearing Consultants Is to Help You Learn to Use Slings So That:
Babywearing is safe and physiological for both the person carrying and the person being carried — in other words, for you and your child.
Babywearing is enjoyable for everyone involved, just as in the previous point.
You can carry your children in slings for a long time and happily — not just barely making it somewhere for 15 minutes, but for as long as necessary and over long distances. And not just for a month or two, but for two or three years, as long as your child periodically needs to be in your arms, and as long as it is quicker and more convenient for you to reach your destination with your child on your back rather than walking beside you holding your hand — which is wonderful, of course, but not always practical in every situation.
And to Achieve All This, We Try to Make Sure That You, Dear Mothers and Fathers:
- Have good-quality, durable slings that meet the principles of safe and physiological babywearing — either one versatile sling or several for different purposes. Know how to use the slings you have correctly, whether that means different wrap carries or properly adjusting a structured carrier.
- Know how to use the slings you have correctly, whether that means different wrap carries or properly adjusting a structured carrier.
For all this to become possible, you need the desire to learn, openness, and a willingness to be taught — because learning to wrap well and comfortably takes some time, more for some people and less for others, and, of course, patience.
We will be happy to help you learn and master all of this through individual consultations, workshops, courses, and so on. Of course, you can also find all this information online yourself and learn everything without our help.
And I want to emphasize once again that the need to carry children has always existed. Even when there were no such comfortable and wonderful slings as we have today, those who needed to carry their children carried them.
And the collage at the beginning of this post is proof of that 🙂
Have you been using slings for a long time? Have you experienced all the benefits of babywearing?
In that case, a babywearing consultant may be able to teach you something else you haven’t yet mastered — back carries or some new techniques and details.
In the meantime, please share your experiences, photographs, and stories with us and our readers in the comments. This will be very helpful for those who still haven’t decided whether to carry their children or which carrier to choose.
Don’t yet know how to use slings or which one is right for you, or don’t have a sling at all?
Then you can do the following:
- Attend the next babywearing workshop. Register in advance here.
- Book an individual babywearing consultation here.
Article author: Olga Krassenstein
Original article here: https://ru.close-to-heart.com/?p=8519