Most parents use carriers/wraps for two reasons: practical and personal. But did you know that wearing your baby can also help your newborn sleep better?
Being able to carry your baby allows you to have both hands available. Baby wearing is an intimate connection that parents usually enjoy. Babies feel their parent’s heartbeat and listen to their voice, just like before birth. Before I tell you how this improves sleep, here is some practical information about safety and carrier/wrap choices.
Wearing your newborn safely is essential. Always make sure that you can see their face and that their head is not tilted forward so far that they cannot easily breathe. An older baby can turn their head but a newborn cannot, especially against gravity. Never lean forward without holding your baby, and never lean near a flame or burner.
My favorite manufactured carrier is the Ergobaby system. It is well-crafted and the insert is designed to safely support newborns. Using slings and wraps is just fine, but it is a bit more challenging to get newborns in the right position and keep them there. Totally possible, and there are parents that are amazingly good at the traditional sling wrap styles. I don’t take sides in the carrier/wrap debates. Use what works for your family.
Carriers/wraps allow your baby to experience all the movement stimulation that he got in the womb. Babies calm to the jiggle-style swinging of the Happiest Baby on the Block for a very similar reason. It feels amazingly familiar to them! When you wear your baby, they get so much more variety and variation in movement than just using an infant swing. No wonder they love being carried long after you have discontinued infant swing use (usually 2-3 months of age.) This movement is stimulating their balance system, and we all need a dose of movement input to feel good. To sleep well, we need to have had enough, but not too much, vestibular stimulation. Baby wearing combines movement plus some deep pressure and warmth from being wrapped against an adult to deliver an almost perfect dose of sensory input. As a pediatric occupational therapist, this makes so much sense.
Wear your newborn safely, use all the other S’s from Happiest Baby on the Block, and you may be able to extend his sleep periods. The gift that keeps on giving!
