Some call it a sign of progress. Some call it liberating. Some call it convenient.
What is it?
“It” is a lot of things: bouncers, jumpers, rollers, seats, strollers, and swings. These myriad fancy, colorful baby contraptions can contain your baby in every conceivable situation and position. They are a virtual arsenal of inconvenience-fighting ground forces. But what do they provide from a baby’s point of view?
Research proves over and over that human beings crave touch and physical closeness. Babies make their love of contact obvious though their own super-glue-like tendencies, and their cuddles and wet kisses—how soon they learn to give these! Even those distant, sullen teenagers secretly love physical attention they get from their parents (despite the kids’ feigned protests). As adults, we continue to thrive on affectionate human contact; we wither and die a little inside when our lives are void of these pleasures. Touch is therapeutic and has the power to heal emotional, as well as physical, hurts and ailments.
Knowing this, do the baby holders offer babies a soft, warm embrace? (No, a cold, hard surface.)
The essential and nurturing touch of love? (No, an unyielding plastic structure.)
A feeling of unassailable safety? (No, a strange feeling of being near those you love and need, but too far away to receive comfort or get their attention.)
Easy access to touch a parent and watch their loving face? (No, too much distance to even see their face at all.)
The joy of falling asleep for naptime while being wrapped in love? (No, drifting off alone and distant.)
Of course, it’s fine to use carriers and seats for your baby to make your life easier! What’s important, though, is to make wise choices about using these devises so that they don’t become the prominent location for your baby’s life. Your might even look at ways to blend convenience with touch. Try one of the many carriers that enable you to hold your baby while keeping both hands free—so many activities can be done easily with you “wearing” your baby! Slings, front packs, and backpacks are available in many different styles.
Wrap your arms around your baby every day and sense the sum of this living, breathing expression of life.
~ These tips are from The No-Cry Sleep Solution. Learn more and buy it here.
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