2023-12-12 18:47:20
When I had my first child, a very typical and therefore very demanding baby, I was looking for a way to soothe him while giving myself a certain freedom to carry out daily tasks. This is how I discovered porting.
Basically, it was a long, simple fabric that was tied in impossible knots and which allowed the sleeping little one to be carried for hours while his mother or father went shopping or cooked, had a coffee, went on an excursion… It was a marvel.
In our case, we used different systems: shoulder straps, slings, ergonomic backpacks, etc. Each device had its advantages and disadvantages. While some were easier to use, others were less manageable but warmer. At the time, they were all sold as alternatives to natural parenthood, somewhat in the wake of the philosophy hippieand people looked at it in the street as a curiosity.
Little by little, these methods became popular and today, no one finds it strange to see a father or mother carrying their baby in the street.
A return to our origins
But this recent fashion is nothing other than a return to basics. Already during prehistoric times, babies survived the constant movements of nomadic peoples by remaining attached to their mothers.
And without going back that far in time, our grandmothers would take a scarf, tie it around their body and carry the baby on their back or hips while they went to work in the fields or tended to the rest of the siblings.
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The pram is a relatively modern invention. It was invented in 1733 by the English architect and landscaper William Kent who was inspired by the structure of a horse-drawn cart. Its first users were the nobles of the time and then it became popular among middle-class families well before the 20th century.e century. The success was such that one might no longer see a mother or father without her or him walking their child in a pram.
Advantages of carrying compared to a stroller
However, although this type of vehicle can offer a certain comfort when traveling, many of the positive effects of carrying are lost when you prefer to use a pram or stroller. First advantage of babywearing: it encourages physical contact between parent and child, which promotes breastfeeding if it is the mother who is carrying.
Another advantage is that the child’s position reduces the risk of plagiocephaly, a deformation of the skull that occurs when the child remains lying down for a long time without changing position. Prolonged use of the stroller might cause this problem to develop.
(Plagiocephaly or positional cranial deformations are a source of concern for parents. In France, the High Authority for Health wants to be reassuring: these skull deformations are benign and disappear naturally around the age of two. Find its published recommendations in consultation with the National Professional Pediatric Council, editor’s note).
In addition, when a baby is carried, he must adapt to the movements of the person caring for him in order to maintain a stable position. This helps develop the core muscles (abdominal, lumbar, pelvic, gluteal and deep spinal muscles) of both the baby and the person carrying them.
Another study showed that holding the baby in the arms, as is the case in carrying, reduces crying and promotes a feeling of security and confidence in the little one.
And for situations that require special care, such as caring for premature babies, babywearing facilitates contact with the person caring for the child. As a result, newborns can gain weight more quickly, which improves their health.
More comfortable and happier parenting
But the baby is not the only one to benefit from babywearing. This has been shown to reduce the risk of postpartum depression in the mother and strengthen the bond with the father or other caregivers of the newborn.
This practice also improves family organization, since it allows you to take care of brothers and sisters while carrying your baby. Not to mention the freedom it gives to exercise and carry out daily activities without being separated from the baby.
Ground Picture/Shutterstock
Lower back pain and pelvic floor problems
Although this system has, as we have seen, many advantages, it is also worth considering some potential disadvantages. Thus, prolonged carrying can cause lower back pain, especially in the frontal position, because our movements are modified. We must adapt to this new load both when walking and when bending down to pick up objects, which is very common when carrying babies.
The pelvic floor may also suffer. The frontal position — when the baby is in front — increases pressure on this area of the body, which can be affected in mothers who suffer from certain problems following delivery.
Given all that it can do for us as parents, we should consider “training our bodies” to carry safely and provide our child with all the benefits that can be gained from wearing it. to be carried so close to us.
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