06/04/2021
Babies are not just born to be held, they’re born to be carried. Movement is an essential part of early baby development - gentle movements that aren’t much different from their in-utero experience. Their bodies are still fragile and vulnerable, and their caregiver’s arms and bodies offer safety, nurture, nourishment and protection. They also offer connection with the outside world which is big and scary - feeling safe when on the move allows a baby to experience this as a positive thing.
Furthermore, as the Esposito 2012 study shows, babies are calmer when carried by walking caregivers than seated, or in a crib. This is all to do with the effect of closeness and gentle movement on the vestibular apparatus and the parasympathetic system - bringing calmness, slower heart and respiratory rates, and reducing crying.
Carrying is normal. It’s evolutionary.
Ps a sling will help with all of that walking and holding. PPs. - this is why your baby doesn’t want you to sit down and wakes up and cries till you walk, again.....
