Which Infant Carrier Offers Your Baby the Most Benefit
Baby wearing has been found, in several pediatric studies, to offer many important benefits to all aspects of your baby’s development. Parents can realize the best possible developmental benefits for their children using any type of baby carrier. Finding and buying the correct baby carrier can weigh many parents down. Like many things in life, the baby carrier choice for you will be unique and not necessarily the most popular or trendy.
One type of carrier is the traditional sling or pouch sling. Draping over one shoulder, this type of baby carrier holds baby in the fabric carrier. A popular brand of sling is HotSlings. Slings offer the benefit of newborn use - making them a good choice for expecting parents. Additionally, slings tend to work well with particular body types and are not adjustable, making it difficult or not possible for sharing between parents or use if your body does not return to it’s prepregnancy shape. Frequently, parents discover that bearing all baby’s weight on one shoulder can be painful after long periods.
A variation of the traditional sling is a ring sling. If you expect to lose a lot of weight post partum, the easily adjustable ring sling is an excellent option for you. Plus sized moms find this style very well-liked.
An alternative to traditional or ring-style slings are baby wrap carriers, or wraps. Versatile but challenging, the wrap style baby carrier is an excellent option for parents. A popular brand of wraps is the Ellaroo. As the name suggests, your baby is held to you by a rectangular piece of cloth which is wrapped around you in such a way as to support him. The wrap can be tied in a lot of configuration which makes the wrap the most versatile carrier to use but can be daunting to parents.
An ancient Asian carrier which is becoming quite popular is the mei tai. A mei tai carrier is a rectangular piece of cloth with parallel straps emerging from each corner. Baby is secured to your front or back or even side via the rectangular cloth and held in place by ‘tie-ing” the straps around you and baby’s back or bottom. Suitable for newborn through toddler-age children, mei tai’s are very flexible and, with its adjustable-length, strap-style design, the mei tai is easily shared and is well-suited for plus-size moms.
Lastly, there are the more commonly used baby carriers of today. These are almost like backpacks that you strap to your front or back and your baby sits in it like a seat. Popular brands include Baby Bjorn, Ergo and Eddie Bauer. The simple use of this type of carrier makes it a good choice for parents that plan to spend a lot of time taking long walks or taking hikes with their baby. The carriers keep the baby in place and secure against you.
Regardless of the type of baby carrier you choose you and your baby will benefit from the advantages of baby wearing. When you wear your baby it is easier to care for your other children. It is also easier to go out and travel because you don’t have to worry about lugging around large strollers. Keeping your baby close to you during your daily routine will have a positive effect on your parent child relationship.
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