Mother Nature Designed Babies to Be Held

Welcome to my blog! Today is about the many benefits your baby gets automatically, just by being held. Mother Nature designed babies to be held to positively influence their overall health, development, and happiness.

Promotes Development
Studies have shown that the movement and rhythm your baby experiences while being worn helps to increase balance and muscle tone for your newborn. This movement also enhances the development of your baby's motor skills and coordination. These are wonderful gifts to give your baby.

Encourages Independence
Wearing your baby makes it easy to share the world from this safe place close to you. Growing, exploring, and learning while snuggled next to you in a safe environment gives your baby the gift of confidence. This increased confidence is shown to encourage less clinging and to promote independence sooner than you would expect.

Calm-Alert States
You will find that your baby is more calm when awake and not easily overstimulated when snuggled in this safe place close to you. Babies who are worn have more of these calm-alert states, proven to be the perfect state of mind and body for learning to occur easily.

Less Crying
Research has shown that babies who are held or worn, in addition to the normal handling for feeding, bathing, etc., cry about half as frequently as babies who are not held or worn. Paying attention to your baby is easy with your baby so close. Reading your baby's early body-language cues helps you to provide consistent, reliable baby care, perhaps without the need for your baby to cry to get your attention. Wearing your baby is definitely a valuable key to overall happiness, for both of you!

Quality Sleep
When your baby is asleep, your baby's brain is developing not only in size, but in areas of memory and learning. Wearing your newborn or baby provides the perfect place for your baby to fall asleep as needed, rocked by the rhythm of your life. You may find that your baby will stay asleep longer when snuggled, warm and comfortable, protected and loved, next to you. And the calm that your baby experiences by being worn naturally paves the way for a calm transition into night.

Kangaroo Care
Wearing your newborn skin to skin in Kangaroo Care benefits your baby's overall health and development. In case you missed the earlier post that details these important benefits, go to "Newborn Care Made Easier." Kangaroo Care is pretty phenomenal.

Benefits the Wearer Too!
There are benefits that naturally extend to you too when you hold and wear your baby. Next time I'll share those benefits with you!

For you and yours,

D. Fravert, RN

www.newbornbabymanual.com.