Wear your baby to protect them from colds, coughs and flu.
As the weather turns colder and we notice the people around us are sneezing and coughing we often instinctively move away or protector ourselves by covering our own mouth and nose. Imagine what it must be like for a baby in a pram? Have you ever noticed a newborn baby in a shopping centre? What protection do they have from the germs that are everywhere?
When we find out we are pregnant we spend many months preparing for our precious bundle, we buy an assortment of fancy equipment that we hope will help make our life as parents easier and the life for our baby more comfortable. Often a sling is thought of as an extra ‘nice to have’ item.
Did you know that wearing your baby in a sling (known as babywearing) can protect them from contact with airborne bugs? Simply by wearing your baby close you will provide less chance of exposure to bacteria such as Whooping cough – a highly infectious disease, spread to other people by an infected person coughing and sneezing and other nasty bugs.
Babywearing has many other fantastic benefits as mentioned below:
The benefits of babywearing
- Babywearing enables the mother to be acutely aware of her baby's cues and signals and heightens her perception of her child's needs
- Babywearing reduces crying and fussiness by up to 51%, with parents feeling more competent and nurturing toward their children.
- Being in close physical contact with a parent provides a baby with a rich learning environment where all of their most important needs can be met - food, warmth, love and touch.
- Babies who are carried learn more, stimulating brain development and expanding their future learning potential.
- Babywearing increases cardiac output, improves circulation, promotes respiration and aids in digestion.
- Babywearing provides the exact level and kind of stimulation an infant requires, energizing their nervous system and creating a quiet, calm alertness in the infant.
- Babywearing decreases the levels of stress hormones circulating in a baby's blood stream, resulting in a more relaxed, happy baby
- Frequently carried babies fall asleep quickly and will usually sleep deeper and for longer periods of time in the comfort of their sling.
- Babywearing develops the muscles needed for the infant to sit, stand and walk.
- Babywearing enhances motor skills by stimulating the baby's vestibular system (balance organs) by exposing the baby to a variety of sights, sounds and motion,.
- Babies worn in slings feel safe and secure which helps to foster a solid sense of self.
- Babywearing offers easy access to the infant's food source - mothers' breast milk, without having to stop or sit down.
At Embrace Life we stock Hugabub® slings which are recommended by our Chiropractors and our Child Health and Lactation Consultant. For more information on slings and the benefits of babywearing check out the following websites:
http://www.instinctiveparenting.com
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