When I had my first child, a typical high-demand baby, I was looking for a way to calm him down that would also allow me some freedom to carry out the activities of daily living. That’s how I discovered babywearing.
Basically it was a simple long cloth that was tied with impossible knots and that allowed the sleeping child to be transported for hours while his mother or father did the shopping, cooked, had a coffee, went on an excursion… Come on, a Wonderful.
In our case, we go through different types of systems: shoulder bags, scarves, ergonomic backpacks, etc. Each one had its pros and cons. While some were easier to use, others were less manageable but provided better warmth. At that time, they were all sold as natural breeding alternatives, following a bit in the wake of hippie philosophy, and people looked strangely on the street.
Little by little, these methods have become popular and today it is not strange to see a mother or father carrying their little one on the street.
But this recent fashion is nothing more than a return to our origins. Already during Prehistory, babies survived the continuous movements of nomadic peoples attached to their mothers.
And without going too far back in time, our grandmothers took a handkerchief, tied it around their body and carried the baby on their back or hip while they went to the fields to work or took care of the rest of their siblings.
The baby stroller is a relatively modern invention. It was invented in 1733 by the English architect and landscape designer William Kent, inspired by the structure of a horse-drawn carriage. Its first users were nobles of the time. It was not until well into the 20th century when its use became popular among middle-class families, with such success that there was no mother or father who did not carry her child in a stroller.
However, although this type of vehicle can offer comfort when traveling, many of the positive effects provided by carrying are lost. And the first of them, which encourages physical contact between parent and baby, promoting breastfeeding if the carrier is the mother.
Another advantage is that the child’s position reduces the risk of plagiocephaly, a deformation of the skull that occurs when spending a long time lying down without changing position. Prolonged use of the stroller could favor the development of this problem.
Furthermore, when a baby is carried, it must adapt to the caregiver’s movements in order to maintain its stable position. This helps develop the core muscles (abdominals, lumbar, pelvis, glutes and deep spinal muscles) of both the baby and the carrier.
Another study found that holding the baby in your arms, as is done when carrying, reduces crying and promotes a sense of security and trust in the child.
And for cases that involve special care, such as premature babies, carrying facilitates contact with the caregiver. Thus, newborns can gain weight more quickly, with the consequent improvement in their health.
But not only the baby benefits from the benefits of carrying. As has been proven, it could reduce the risk of postpartum depression in the mother and strengthen the bond of the father or other caregivers with the newborn.
It also improves the organization of the family, since it allows you to care for other siblings while carrying yourself. Not to mention the freedom to exercise and do daily activities without leaving the child.
Although this system offers, as we have seen, multiple advantages, some possible drawbacks must also be considered. Thus, prolonged carrying can generate lower back pain, especially if it is in a frontal position, since our movements are modified. We have to adapt to the new load both to walk and to bend down to the ground to pick up objects, a very common action when we go with babies.
There is also the possibility that the pelvic floor may suffer. The frontal position with the baby in front increases pressure in this area of ??the body, which can be affected in mothers with problems after childbirth.
Appreciating everything it can give us as parents, we should consider “training our body” to carry it safely and be able to offer our little one all the benefits of carrying it so close to us.
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Ana Vanessa Bataller Cervero is a professor in Biomechanics of Physical Activity and Sports, Universidad San Jorge
