Using slings, wraps, or carriers might seem like one of those new 'crunchy mom' fads, but, as it turns out, babywearing is a practice that has been around pretty much since the dawn of the human era.
This ancient tradition was unquestioned for millennia, but then the world began to change, especially in the West. Strollers became the preferred way to walk around with infants and toddlers, while the rise of the automobile made car seats more popular than a baby carrier. And just like that, babywearing looked destined to be dropped in the cultural dumpster.
Thankfully, the trend has been reversing. A primary reason for this is that the science on babywearing is finally catching up with the ancient cultural wisdom.
In celebration of International Babywearing Week, We The Parents has compiled an infographic detailing 23 advantages to baby-wearing (source):
As you can see, it turns out that numerous scientific studies explore the benefits of wearing babies. Some of the science comes from closely related fields of child development and human biology, but there are also a growing number of studies which explore the direct link between infant-wearing and its positive results. In fact, it's becoming something of a hot research topic.
So keep your eyes peeled as it's predicted that babywearing will more and more become part of mainstream health and social care. The movement away from strollers and toward carriers has begun, and it will be interesting to see how far it goes.
Whatever the exact future of baby-carrying, one thing is clear, it's here to stay. I'd say that this is good news for moms and babies worldwide. Happy babywearing!
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