4 Ways Babywearing Helps You Bond With Your Baby

Babywearing, or keeping baby close using a baby carrier, is one way to encourage healthy bonding between parents and their infants. These bonds forge an essential connection between parent and child, crucial for a baby’s survival and development.

Benefits of Babywearing

“Babywearing can be an important and natural way for a parent to bond with their baby, with research confirming multiple benefits,” says Jonathan Fanaroff, MD, JD, FAAP, a neonatologist at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s.

1. Babywearing is a safe and secure way to bond with your baby.

   From early infancy, soft-structured baby carriers easily and safely help baby’s development. They properly support baby’s hips and legs, which assist with joint and muscle development. Soft-structured baby carriers also allow babies to move their arms and legs freely, while providing head and back support.

   If the baby is properly positioned within the carrier, it keeps parent and child close together. Some parents worry that baby carriers could impair the development of hips, spine or genitals of baby, but those concerns are unsupported by medical science. It is, however, important to use the baby carrier properly and follow all manufacturer recommendations.

2. Skin-to-skin contact from babywearing promotes a healthier transition to breastfeeding.

   Skin-to-skin contact, which can be accomplished through babywearing, has been shown to result in improved breastfeeding and milk production.

   In the early days of life, ongoing close contact can help both mother and child be more ready to breastfeed, and to form a stronger breastfeeding pattern. This can lead to increased success in overall breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is beneficial for baby’s health for many reasons, including a decreased risk of infections, obesity, cancer and sudden infant death syndrome.

3. Babywearing promotes closeness between parent and child.

   Babywearing gives caregivers – especially moms who might not be breastfeeding, along with dads, grandparents or others – an opportunity for physical bonding. This type of bond helps to form a strong relationship with baby.

   “Babywearing offers increased opportunities for being physically close to baby, which helps to form positive behavior patterns” says Dr. Fanaroff. “This closeness allows the parent to respond to baby in a thoughtful and timely manner and help establish a pattern of interactions, which provides comfort to their baby.”

4. Babywearing allows parents to continue participating in many daily activities, while bonding with their baby.

   Babywearing provides a hands-free option to remain close to your baby while continuing daily activities and household chores. Reading a magazine, going on a hike, working on the computer and caring for other children are all easier with two free hands.

“Bonding between infant and parent helps foster a strong relationship,” said Dr. Fanaroff. “From early infancy and beyond, babywearing can help to strengthen this important relationship between parent and child.”

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University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s has a wide network of highly skilled pediatricians at convenient locations across the region. Our specialists have the advanced training and experience to care for children of all ages and provide parents with the support and encouragement they need. Learn more.