About Baby Slings
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"So long as I carry my Baby, he's
content"
'Mothers of fussy babies often say this. However
in other cultures parents 'wear' their babies.
In our culture we wheel our babies, then park
them somewhere. Infant development specialists
who travel throughout the world studying infant
care practices have repeatedly observed that babies
who are carried in a variety of cloth-type slings
seem more content, secure and confident than infants
that are kept in playpens, strollers, cribs and
plastic seats. For a number of years infant care
studies have found general agreement that babies
behave and develp better when they are carried
a lot.'
- Dr William P. Sears
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Benefits of Wearing a Baby Sling
Slings are better for your baby than backpack or frontpack
carriers, which force baby's legs apart and into small
openings. An artificially erect position is inappropriate
for your baby's soft spine, pelvis and developing organs.
The Slingalong fully supports your newborn's head and
tender spine, with legs kept comfortably together.
You'll quickly find that your Slingalong™
Baby Sling:
- Is easy to use and comfortable to wear
- Soothes and comforts baby in her own "cocoon"
- Provides a gentle transition from the womb
- Promotes bonding between you and your baby
- Promotes baby's involvement and learning
- Keeps nursing easy and discreet
- Keeps mobile toddlers safely close
- Reduces sibling rivalry- mum's hands aren't always
busy with new baby
- Serves you for a full 3 years per child, through
kids ages 3 or weighing 15kg or so - great value!
Some of the benefits to you and your baby are:
- The horizontal position supports head and neck reducing
stress on baby's spine
- The padded shoulder pillow interferes less with
mum's upper-chest circulation thus reducing the likelihood
of breast infection
- Elimination of leg openings improves baby's leg
circulation and will not promote bowleggedness
- Weight distributed on parents shoulder, hip and
back reduces back fatigue and injury
Whilst being carried in a sling, the baby participates
in the bearer's walking, talking, laughing, working
and playing. Babies in a sling have little reason to
kick, arch, stiffen or cry. They are busy enjoying pleasure,
warmth, touch, security and oneness with their mother/father.
A content, alert baby observes and learns more readily.
The Slingalong compliments this parenting style because
during the dozens of times we pick our baby up daily
we simply slip the carrier on and place the baby in
it in just seconds!
The Baby Wearing Mind-set
 In
case you are wondering how much parents should carry
their babies, certainly parents have to put down their
babies sometimes! In fact, it is important to take a
balanced approach to babywearing. But this style of
parenting means changing your mind-set regarding what
babies are really like. You may envision your picture-book
baby lying quietly in a crib, gazing passively at dangling
mobiles, and picked up only to be fed and played with
and then put down; you may think that "up"
periods are just dutiful intervals to quiet your baby
long enough to put him down again. to understand baby-wearing,
reverse this view: Carry your baby much of the time,
and put him or her down for longer nap times, night
time and to attend to your personal needs. Take a balanced
approach to babywearing. Allow baby to enjoy down periods
and freestyle movements on the carpet, but pick him/her
up when she signals the desire to be carried. You will
note an interesting contrast in behaviour. "Down"
babies learn to cry to get picked up; "Up"
babies learn non-crying body language signaling their
need to get down. The amount of holding time naturally
decreases as your baby increases in age and motor skills.
Even your toddler, however, may show occasional high-need
periods when he or she wants to be picked up and worn.
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