{This is an essay that I wrote on the safety of Babywearing a while ago.}
If you are a new or expecting
parent and are browsing the market for baby carriers there are a few things you
need to know. You should be
advised on how to use your carrier safely and effectively. Becoming educated about proper
babywearing techniques will assist in the healthy development of your baby. In spite of recent concerns about
safety, babywearing is safe and ideal for you and your baby.
On March 12, 2010
the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) released a prompt warning about
sling and pouch style baby carriers causing infant deaths. Major recalls were instantly made and
many small companies who produce such carriers took a big hit financially. Ever since this awakening the
government of the United States of America has been trying to pass laws on what
they consider a “safe” carrier.
There are many
carriers on the market today that encourage healthy development in babies and
are ergonomically beneficial to the caregiver. The different styles include pouches, slings, wraps, mei
tais, and soft-structure carriers.
They all differ uniquely and require a small bit of education to use properly,
especially pouches and slings. The
CPSC scare has mainly been directed toward pouches and slings, and they are
considering taking all carriers of these two styles completely off of the U.S.
market. A community of avid
parents is up in arms against this recent activity they call themselves
Babywearing International.
Babywearing International is a nonprofit organization whose mission is
to promote babywearing as a universally accepted practice, with benefits for
both child and caregiver, through education and support.
The U.S. is
currently in the process of rediscovering the ancient traditions of babywearing. “Biologists are beginning to believe
that humans are classified as belonging to the carried type of young, in
contrast to mammals that leave their child in a hidden place” (Kirkilionis qtd.
in Schön). The anatomical shape of the infant’s spine and pelvis does
not support upright walking, but rather is ideal for “clinging” to a caregiver. “It should be noted that adduction (movement
of a limb away from the midline of the body) of 35°-40°, and flexion
(bending of a limb) of 90°-120° is considered an ideal position for the optimal
development of an infant’s hip joints.
An increased incident of hip dysplasia has been observed in cultures
where infants’ legs are kept in an unphysiological position of extension and
adduction for extended periods of time.”
Hip dysplasia occurs when the hip joint is dislocated for an extended
period of time and a new socket forms, causing the joint to be displaced. Regine A. Schön, of the University of Helsinki in Florida, was refering to cultures
that swaddle their infants forcing the baby’s to keep their legs straight and
together. Schön examined age-old
approaches to parenting that have recently been rediscovered in western
industrialized societies. She
found that there seems to be a pandemic in the U.S. concerning these
developmental disabilities dealing with how caregivers handle babies.
Babywearing
techniques can seem very complicated and intimidating, but that should not
hinder new parents from learning the proper methods. Unknowingly parents can put their babies at risk of other
developmental disabilities dealing with the baby’s spine.
A baby’s spine is placed in a
compromising position in many of today’s popular carriers. If the carrier positions the infant
upright, with the legs hanging down and the bodyweight supported at the base of
the spine, it puts undue stress on the spine, which can adversely affect the
development of the spinal curves and, in some cases, cause spondylolisthesis (Rochelle L. Casses) .
Spondylolisthesis is a condition in
which a vertebra, usually in the lower region of the spine, slips forward and
onto another vertebra below it. When
a baby wants to see the world in an upright position the carrier should allow
the baby to sit cross-legged, so that it’s weight is dispersed evenly
throughout the legs and hips, effectively taking pressure off of their immature
spine. If we as a nation become
educated about the benefits and proper procedures of babywearing as well as begin
wearing all of our infants, then we can effectively make these developmental
concerns become extinct.
In spite of some
fears about babywearing, parents who are properly educated will find multiple
benefits for both the child and themselves. We as a society are taught not to believe our instinctive
knowledge. We are told that
teachers and other learned people know best and if our feelings are contrary
with their ideas then we must be wrong.
“We are conditioned to mistrust or utterly disbelieve our feelings”(Liedloff) . We have all been given instincts and
should break free from what we are conditioned to believe, listening to what
our hearts tell us is right. When
a child is worn in a proper carrier many beneficial things take place; the
breathing motions of the parent encourage breathing in the baby, proper
positioning of the child reduces chances of spondylolisthesis and hip
dysplasia, interaction between parent and baby is increased, and so much more.
Babywearing is defined
as the act of carrying your children in personal carriers, the most popular
being the sling/pouch style. Dr.
William Sears has been the main contributor of scientific and observational
research concerning the benefits of babywearing, and is the person who coined
the phrase “babywearing”. In one
of his earlier travels Dr. Sears interviewed two women from Zambia who were
wearing their children:
We asked them why
women in their culture wear their babies most of the time. One woman replied, “It makes life
easier for the mother.” The other
woman volunteered, “It’s good for the baby.” These women went on to relate the feelings of “completeness”
and “value” that babywearing gave them (281).
These women, without books or
studies, have had centuries of tradition that have simply taught them that
wearing their children is beneficial to both child and mother. Another child development researcher,
Jean Liedloff, spent two and a half years living amongst the Stone Age Indians
in the South American jungle and spoke fondly of their traditions.
Babies of the
Yequanna tribe, far from needing peace and quiet to sleep, snoozed blissfully
whenever they were tired, while the men, women, or children carried them
danced, ran, walked, shouted, or paddled canoes. Toddlers played together without fighting or arguing, and
they obeyed their elders instantly and willingly.
Liedloff goes on to speak of how
“the babies of this tribe almost never cried and did not wave their arms, kick,
arch their backs, or flex their hands and feet.” It was a marvel to her to observe the peaceful nature of
these babies and how they are handled. The way these people handle their young greatly
contrasts popular methods that are used in the United States.
In a lot of
countries outside of the U.S. babywearing is commonplace and almost
expected. As an example, South
American hospitals cannot afford the high-tech equipment that we and other
countries have. Doctors there, wrap
premature babies around their mothers in a sling/pouch like style.
To everyone’s
amazement the babies thrived as well or even better than the technologically
cared-for-babies. The close
proximity to the mother enticed babies to feed frequently. Mother’s warmth kept the babies warm;
the movement calmed the baby, enabling the baby to divert energy from crying to
growing. Mother’s breathing
movements stimulated baby’s breathing, so that these babies had fewer
stop-breathing episodes (William Sears 300-301) .
Wearing a premature or high needs
baby can resolve many issues for both the baby and parents. Wearing will also assist in the bonding
between baby and mother for children who are adopted at a young age. For a father to be comfortable wearing
his baby can be very beneficial to the mother of a high-needs baby, this will
allow mother to relax and be able to do things for her own sanity to avoid a
burnout.
More
benefits are found when fathers partake in wearing their babies. Dads become shareholder in the family
art of babywearing giving dad a feeling of completeness, this feeling is
usually associated only with the mother.
Often times it takes a bit of work for the baby to get use to dad, fathers
have a different rhythm to their walk, breath, and voice. Dr. Sears speaking of the father
wanting to wear his child says that the two best wearing positions is the “neck
nestle, where the head nestles into the curve of your neck” and what he calls
the “warm fuzzy, placing baby’s ear over your heart - bare skin to bare skin”
(291-293). Dr. Sears goes on to
say that the neck nestle position “has a slight edge over mom.” Babies not only hear through their ears
but through the vibration of their skull bones. Placing the baby’s head near your voice box, in front of
your neck, and humming or singing to your baby slowly will lull the baby right
to sleep, because of the easily felt vibrations of the lower-pitched male
voice. In today’s society dads are
usually busy working all day and are seldom seen by their children. By wearing his baby a working dad can
more easily make strong bonds earlier on.
With all of the
benefits of babywearing why is it that the U.S. has not picked up on the
trend? Instead the nation
continues with the detrimental trends of placing infants in walkers or jumpers
before their spines are mature enough to accommodate the amount of pressure
these devices produce. Another
trend is to leave babies in car seats, swings, and bouncer chairs instead of
following parental instincts to hold and comfort the baby. “In recent years, we have seen a number
of infants whose deformities seem to be associated with the extended use of
these devices, referring to car seats,
cradles, swings, etc. The
cranial distortion that occurs is generally more severe than the more common
forms of plagiocephaly” (Timothy R. Littlefield,
italics added).
Plagiocephaly is characterized by an asymmetrical distortion of the
skull. Sadly this is becoming very
common and can be avoided by simply carrying your child and not leaving them in
these devices for extended periods of time.
There are many
fears associated with babywearing, fears mostly based on the unknown. The more we become educated and aware
of the benefits of babywearing the less we will fear. If we will take the time to learn about what is available
and how to properly use the carriers then our future generations will be safer
and more secure mentally as well as physically. If babywearing would once again become a tradition in the
American society then future generations would benefit greatly. Jean Liedloff poses a question, from
her observation of the Yequanna tribe, that should stand in the heart of all
American parents, “If these cultures,
referring to the tribes, have had centuries of tradition teaching them to
wear their babies, why the incompetence in our society?”
CPSC.
“News from CPSC.” 2010 12-March. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
2010 11-November
<http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10165.html>.
Liedloff,
Jean. “The Importance of the In-Arms Phase .” 1991 1-January. Continuum
Concept. 2010 11-November <http://www.continuum-concept.org/reading/in-arms.html>.
Rochelle
L. Casses, D.C. “Infant Carriers and Spinal Stress.” 1996 1-January. Continuum
Concept. 2010 11-November
<http://www.continuum-concept.org/reading/spinalStress.html>.
Schön,
Regine A. “Natural Parenting ― Back to Basics in Infant Care.” 2007 1-May . Evolutionary
Psychology. 2010 11-November
<http://www.epjournal.net/filestore/ep05102183.pdf>.
Timothy
R. Littlefield, et al. “Car Seats, Infant Carriers, and Swings: Their Role in
Deformational Plagiocephaly.” 2003 1-January. Plagiocephaly Info. 2010
11-November <http://www.plagiocephaly.info/resources/pdf/jpo2003.pdf>.
William Sears, M.D. The Baby Book.
Boston: Little Brown & Co., 2003.
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