Babywearing for Attachment?

I babywear all of my babies. ki have had a hard with with attachment with my 4 and 5 yo FS's and if they would have allowed me to wear them, I would. (i even wore my older kiddos on my back) I have used putting lotion on the boys as bonding time. They are AA and i lotion them up a couple times a day. ( morning and night) and I think the physical touch also helps with bonding, and i use that time to joke with them, to talk with them, and to play with them. I have always been considered and AP mom, thought people who dont know what attachment parenting is, call me a hippie. LOL

I never even thought about a carrier for our current FKs (2 and 3). They can both be very "clingy" for lack of a better word, although it has such a negative connotation, and I'm sure that having a carrier would make things so much easier. We are hopefully going to be adding their baby sister to our home soon, and at 8 months old, I think we will definitely need to baby wear to help her attach. Especially as, if everything works out, we will be her second placement in three months. Thank you for posting this, or I wouldn't have even thought of it.

I'm "wearing" my newest little one all the time and she and I LOVE it! So easy and so close. And she's a peanut (only 14 lbs at 6 months). Does anyone know of added health benefits for baby other than attachment (obviously important)? This little lady is so sweet - but you can tell she's had a tough go of it...

Hi, Foster 3: I'm a babywearing educator, so I can let you know about some of the benefits of babywearing for baby.-It helps with development of baby's balance. Humans have three planes of balance in their ears - forward and backward; up and down; side to side. When baby is set down, they don't get much exercise of those planes, and in a swing or other mechanical mover they usually only get one plane exercised. But when being worn, they get all three planes worn as the adult moves through daily life.-Communication and speech improvement because baby is up closer to the level of adult conversations, they aren't left out down below in a stroller.-Proper hip and spine development. Babies are physically designed to fit on a parent's chest in an upright chest-to-chest position. At birth their spine is almost totally curved, and their hips are tilted inward. Throughout the first year they slowly and gently straighten up. Wearing baby in a proper carrier (I do not recommend any carriers that allow baby's legs to dangle, instead, a carrier that supports baby's bottom from the back of one knee to the back of the other knee in a natural seated-squat position) will allow the hip and spine to develop properly and naturally, leading to greater back and hip strength throughout life.Enjoy your little one!

MamaJasmine - THANKS! Do you know of any benefits directly to neglected babies / drug exposed infants?

I would think it would be particularly important for babies who have been neglected. They need the warmth of that close contact with a loving caregiver and a good carrier allows you to give them that easily for long stretches. When my son faced away from me in a stroller, I could never tell what he was looking at or noticing. We could not easily communicate unless I stopped and moved around in front of him. While wearing him, I could follow his gaze and talk softly to him while we walked. Also, my son has some sensory processing issues so being in crowded spaces can be hard on him. Being warn was clearly comforting as he could turn his face in toward me when he wanted to, so if we were out somewhere, it was less overstimulating. That's a big advantage for a drug exposed infant who has some trouble processing lots of stimulation.

Drug exposed infants often like to be swaddled tightly, so wearing them in a close, tight carrier like the Moby Wrap or a woven wrap will help give them that tight closed-up feeling they crave.Neglected infants really benefit from being up close to human interaction so they are in a better position to watch facial cues, hand gestures, body language, spoken language, voice variation - all that good stuff that most babies get naturally through the course of interaction with a caregiver, that many neglected infants have missed out on. And obviously the bonding effect of feeling constantly connected to and cared for by a responsible adult.Happy babywearing!

Will the ergo carrier for the back fit someone obese? How do you get child in it by yourself?

TempMom, I dont have an Ergo but a Beco and the "sizing" for back carry and front carry are exactly the same. I bend over at the waist, hoist Tot up on my hip then kinda scootch him over. I have the carrier half on the side I am hoisting to. Then I grab his leg that is through the already on side and pull the other side of the carrier up and buckle the front strap. Voila. But better yet, there are You-Tube videos. I first only did back carries from home using the couch, just in case, but then realized I was good at it and do it anywhere. Lots of times strangers will come over "to help" which usually just complicates the matter but they are just trying to be nice to the lady with 3 non-walking littles.[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-9PAStW2OI]Ergo or Beco back carry - YouTube[/url]I bend over a little bit where this mom doesnt and does it a lot faster than me;)

The method LLL described - putting the baby on your hip and them bouncing/scooting him into position - is the way I always did it, too. But my partner used to sit down and have our son stand behind her straddling the carrier. Then she would reach back and pull up the carrier - putting the straps over her shoulders one by one. It's easier if you let the straps all the way out and then tighten them back up once you have them in place.

I have a Mobi that I get the baby into and out of myself multiple times a day - for hours and hours a day.

I didn't wear my bios in a sling( didn't know about it then) but I did with my adopted kids that came at 14 months and 4 months. Our attachment herbalist highly recommends it. My current "assignment" by her is to wear my stbas 2 year old 6 hours a day!!! I am ok with this but he is 29 pounds! He really needs this as he is unattached and was hospitalized for the first year of his life with no consistant caregivers :( But, my back is killing me. I use a ring sling now, anyone have a better suggestion for a solid 2 year old?

TemporaryMom: Ergo sells an extension belt that helps get a better fit for bigger mamas. You can check the Ergo website for details about how long the straps are and what size it is recommended for. AmyinWI: For a kid that size you want a two-shouldered back carrier. I very highly recommend the Kinderpack, preschool size. You'll be AMAZED at how comfortable it is! Visit kindercarry.com to find them.

Amy, you need a good full carrier to babywear a 29 lb kiddo 6 hours a day. Olives and Applesauce sells toddler carriers too. They are a bit pricey but worth it. [url=http://olivesandapplesauce.com]Olives and Applesauce :: Olives and Applesauce...Quick, Convenient, Comfortable[/url] I'm not familiar with the Kinderpack mentioned above but that may be a good option too:) I just wanted to give another option with Olives and Applesauce, they are a great company.

My current "assignment" by her is to wear my stbas 2 year old 6 hours a day!!! [/QUOTE] Wow - I am doing about 2-3 hours a day with a 14 pound babe and I'm tired. Just think of all those calories you'll be burning. :)