The Carrying Matters blog page.. enjoy reading! If you have any topics you'd like to see covered, get in touch! I enjoy writing and am always keen to hear of new ideas, and to host guest blog posts too!
Babies thrive on close contact and connection: it is how their bodies and brains develop optimally. Often modern life (and technology) encourages more separation between parents and babies than is ideal and this is beginning to be recognised.
This article is in a mainstream US health online magazine and focuses on encouraging connection.... Yay! It talks about the challenges of the NICU and the importance of connection for mental health.
As for the comment about sleeping in slings: many cultures around the world have carried sleeping babies in slings for many many generations... it can be done safely and well. Make sure baby is upright, well supported around the chest and has a clear airway and you're good to go!
Also, while I agree that parents and carers don't need to be "overzealous" to ensure babies are kept close, the reality is that most babies are indeed put down a lot, and that contact is often rapidly reduced as babies grow. Keeping babies with you in a carrier as you go about daily life meets their need for connection without meaning you feel trapped.
Moderation in all things. The goal is connection that comes naturally... ignore the pressure from society to promote early "independence" and allow babies brain's and hearts to thrive.
health.usnews.com/wellness/family/articles/2018-08-17/how-holding-your-baby-helps-with-brain-deve...
How Holding Your Baby Helps With Brain Development
health.usnews.com
For both preterm and full-term infants, positive or supportive human touch can have a lasting impact.Good morning everyone! I've been away for a couple of weeks so the Saturday share had a little break... but here we go again! (With some news about BWI below).
It's #slingsharesaturday! #carryingisforeveryfamilyeverychild
This hashtag is to show real life babywearing in normal circumstances: on holiday, around the home, everyday people using their slings in good times and bad, for fun or for survival.
Babywearing is for everyone: every body shape, every gender, every ability, every skin colour, every family structure...
Here's Meghna providing a safe space to sleep for her sleep-regressing child (we've all been there!)
and Helen's partner showing their child the narrowboats on the canal.
Is babywearing for you too? Show the world, and I'll use some of the photos next Saturday! I'd love to continue seeing diversity represented here... more people of colour and other countries and carers and partners and dads and grandparents carrying. After all, babywearing is universal.
BWI in the States have this weekend announced their closure: they've achieved a huge amount in the US. I hope all their chapters of support can find ways to carry on supporting families with babywearing... cos we know carrying and keeping children close makes a difference long term to health outcomes. There is still a long way to go before babywearing becomes truly mainstream, standard everyday practice for every family, every child.... but with grassroots movements and ongoing visibility and continued encouragement to policy makers and working towards a global minimum standard of safety and codes of conduct etc, we will get there one day.
#carryingmatters #carryingisnormal #babywearingisforeveryone #carryingisconnection #everyfamilyeverychild #carryingisforeveryfamilyeverychild
Have you come across the EasyFeel "preschool" giant carriers? Here is one in use with a child in 5-6 year old clothes!We have added two of these superb large buckle carriers from EasyFeel to our collection of options to give to families in need. This carrier is a fantastic option for older children who need extra support, such as those with disabilities or ilnesses, an alternative to a wheelchair, difficulties bonding, or those with special educational needs needing to feel safe from a world that bombards them with too much information to process, and more.
We are here to help; if you're part of the SEN community with a child who has autism, or a disabled older child etc, and you're local to South Yorkshire, do get in touch!
You can refer yourself via our website
Www.building-bonds.org
The ISARA "The One" has arrived and wow it's soft and cushy! It's very versatile and flexible.. I was intrigued how wide the base can go so my seven year old was happy to have a quick back carry. She was almost completely knee to knee, and it felt really nice for her, she said, soft under her legs. The panel is pretty capacious too; it almost reaches her armpits. The straps feel lovely on my shoulders. Looking forward to trying out with a newborn!!!
#carryingmatters #carryingisnormal #birthtobigkid #isarababycarrier #kneetoknee #wrapconversion #bucklecarrier #wearallthebabies
The Scottish Baby Box scheme has been giving out 1,000 of these boxes a week, to 85% of Scottish parents. "A parent survey revealed the most popular items were the room thermometer, followed by the ear thermometer and the sling."
This is excellent news...Hurray! Scotland is leading the way in so much; with their focus on reducing Adverse Childhood Events, trying to equalise the experience of children across the social divides.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-45189506
Read more about the Scottish boxes here www.parentclub.scot/baby-box (the English ones seem to bear no resemblance)
Baby boxes accepted by 85% of parents
bbc.co.uk
In the first year of the programme 52,065 baby boxes were gifted to parents of newborns.