What it is and how it transformed Claire Scott’s life
Like many mums, I loved my new baby
but often found life isolating, frustrating and hard work. So when I became
pregnant with my second child, I decided that something had to change. I
began investigating parenting techniques and found one which transformed my
life; allowing me to successfully combine parenting with an active social
life and the impetus to set up my own business around the needs of my young
family.
Six years on from discovering the
Continuum Parenting Concept and working with several parents on how best to
adopt the principals, I am evangelical about it and the huge benefits it
brings to families and society as a whole.
So much so I am working with Channel 4
in Bringing up Baby on a study of parenting techniques and putting to the
test Baby Carrying with real life families based on The Continuum Concept.
This goes live on 25th September at 9pm for 4 weeks.
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Baby Carrying & The Continuum Concept
In a nut shell, Baby Carrying
believes that your baby benefits hugely by being carried for as much of
her early life as possible. Not necessarily by the mum, but by dad,
other members of the family and friends. This is not a new ‘fad’.
For many years, anthropologists
have been recording how children are raised in traditional communities
compared to those in post-industrial societies and one of the more
obvious difference is how often babies are held, carried and touched.
In the UK
babies spend on average two-thirds of their time alone, distanced in car
seats, bouncy chairs, prams, cots or swings; compared to many cultures
where babies are carried in slings, without being put down, for the
first 6 months of their life.
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Baby Carrying - What are the benefits?
Far from being
limiting, wearing a sling is in fact hugely empowering. Practically it
leaves both two hands free to get on with other things and it dispenses with
the need for prams and buggies, so out and about is easier and more
spontaneous. Also because your baby can eat, sleep and be entertained in a
sling, the baby fits around your life, not you around hers as so often the
case. How many times were you late for a doctor appointment or coffee with
a friend because your baby was still sleeping?
Breastfeeding is
also easier because your baby has constant unfettered access. Indeed having
your baby close also stimulates increased levels of Prolactin which has the
effect of stimulating the breast to produce and sustain milk production
after birth.
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On an emotional
level, I found Baby Carrying totally relieved the stress associated with
early parenting. Babies love to be held. They thrive on the closeness
of being near another adult. They are comforted by the heartbeat and
naturally rocked by the motion of the body. By having your baby close,
you tune into her needs and can respond instinctively, resulting in a
baby that is happy and content. This greatly reduced significant the
bouts of crying which I found so stressful with my first baby. Also
because they are near, parents give their babies more touch and intimacy
by kissing and stroking them at regular intervals. This happens
instinctively and parents often don’t realize they are doing it, but the
benefits to baby are huge.
Many parents I
work with are amazed at how quickly they bond with their baby by
following the Baby Carrying principals. Dads, grandparents, aunts and
uncles all enjoy wearing the baby and the baby feels more secure with
other adults as the closeness, heartbeat and movement are constant.
Babies who are
carried also interact much more with the world. They are held up high,
where they can see, hear and absorb activities and then simply doze off
when sleepy. This has been proven to help them develop intellectually.
It involves them in experiences and conversations that babies lying in a
pram simply aren't exposed to.
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Baby
Carrying - Why we must change?
The Johnson's Baby report "Power of Touch" in 2004 suggested babies are
suffering from a mild form of sensory deprivation, because of the excessive
use of car seats and prams. More than eight in ten mothers in the UK use a
pushchair to transport a baby, rather than carrying them in a sling.
Furthermore
Positional Plagiocephaly, or flat head syndrome, is on the increase and
babies being left to lie flat on their backs or for extended periods of time
in car seats of prams is almost certainly a contributing factor.
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So Baby Carrying is totally safe?
Absolutely but
do take time to choose your sling carefully as not
all slings provide the correct support for a newborn
baby. An over the shoulder sling is perfect for newborn use where the
baby is lying down in a foetal position, exactly how they were in the
womb. When the baby is old enough to support her own head (around the
4 - 6 month mark) the baby can be held in an upright position.
I found it difficult to find a
sling that met my needs, so I created Close Baby Carrier which is
designed so that your baby can be worn from birth in an upright position
because they are supported entirely from underneath their bottom, all
the way up their spines to the top of their head. This means that the
baby can be worn safely for long periods of time. It is organic, fully
adjustable and because it has wide straps that fit over both shoulders
it is extremely comfortable for the wearer. For further information log
on to
www.closebabycarrier.com
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Baby
Carrying gives you the power to trust your own instincts
Baby Carrying is
based on instinctual parenting. Having your baby close to you, or somebody
you trust and by being so in tune to your baby that you respond to her needs
with confidence, without the needs for guides, various pieces of equipment
or indeed advise from others, will result in a happier baby and a more
empowered and confident mum.
Parents choosing to
following the baby carrying concept can be reassured that they are parenting
in a style that, according to extensive anthropological and psychological
evidence, raises physically and emotionally healthy children.
Baby Carrying – where to go for support
There are many
support groups that parents can contact, for example, La Leche League and
Natural Nurturing Network.
http://www.continuum-concept.org is also a good place to find out more
information.
Totz2teens offers discussion boards to share your experiences and to gain
other parents support.
Claire Scott from Close Baby Carrier
For the latest Baby Carrying Safety
Advice please see our article
here
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