3 Ways Babywearing Makes Parenting So Much Easier

Babywearing can feel like one more thing to research when you’re already drowning in decisions about car seats, cots and feeding. You have to work out which type of carrier suits your body and your baby, spend money on one (sometimes more than one, as babies grow), and then actually learn how to use the thing without feeling like you need a diploma in knot-tying.

It’s worth the faff. Once you’ve got the hang of it, babywearing genuinely makes day to day life with a baby easier, not harder. Here’s why, and how to do it safely.

1. Carried babies often cry less

There’s a well known 1986 Canadian study (Hunziker and Barr) that found babies who were carried more during the day cried significantly less than babies who weren’t, particularly in the evenings when fussiness tends to peak. It’s one study, done decades ago, on a small group of babies, so it shouldn’t be treated as gospel. But it lines up with what a lot of parents notice in real life: a baby who’s upright, close to you, and moving tends to settle faster than a baby lying flat in a Moses basket a few feet away.

Paediatrician Dr William Sears has written about this a lot, and his general point is that in cultures where babies are carried for most of the day, rather than put down between feeds, crying tends to be measured in minutes rather than hours. Babies who spend more time being carried have less need to cry to get their needs met, because someone’s already right there.

None of this means you’re doing something wrong if your baby still cries a lot even when worn, or that babywearing is a cure for colic. Some babies are just more unsettled than others, and if your baby’s crying seems excessive, unusual, or is paired with other symptoms (poor weight gain, reflux, feeding difficulties), it’s worth mentioning to your health visitor or GP rather than assuming a carrier will fix it.

2. It helps a newborn feel regulated

Human babies are born much less developed than most other mammals. Dr Sears talks about the “fourth trimester”, the idea that the first three months outside the womb are really a continuation of gestation, just on the outside. Inside the womb, everything was regulated for your baby automatically: temperature, movement, sound, heartbeat. Birth switches all of that off overnight.

Being carried close to your body gives your baby some of that back. The gentle bounce as you walk mimics the movement they felt in the womb. Your heartbeat and breathing, felt against their chest, can have a calming effect. Your body heat helps keep them warm. This is part of why so many newborns settle almost instantly when they’re picked up and held upright, and why they often wake the second you put them down.

Some babies who don’t get much of this kind of contact can seem more unsettled generally, with jerky movements, difficulty self-soothing, or disrupted sleep, though there are lots of possible reasons for these things and babywearing isn’t a fix-all. If you’re worried about your baby’s development, feeding, or sleep, it’s always worth raising it with your health visitor rather than guessing.

3. It supports early language and social development

When your baby is worn facing inward against your chest, they’re at roughly eye and ear level with you for a lot of the day. That means they’re exposed to a huge amount of ordinary adult conversation, your tone of voice, your facial expressions, and the back-and-forth rhythm of talking, long before they can join in themselves.

Being included in conversation like this, rather than watching it from a pram at hip height, is thought to support early listening and language skills. It’s a small thing, but it adds up over months.

Every baby develops language at their own pace, and there’s no evidence that babywearing on its own will make your baby “smarter” or hit milestones early. But plenty of parents who wear their babies regularly do notice their toddlers becoming chatty and articulate quite young, which fits with what we know about how much babies absorb from being around conversation.

Where babywearing actually makes life easier

Beyond the developmental stuff, the real reason a lot of parents stick with babywearing is much more practical:

• You get your hands back. You can cook dinner, hang out washing, answer the door, or look after an older sibling while your baby naps against you instead of screaming in a bouncer.
• Naps happen more easily. Lots of babies who fight sleep in a cot will drop off within minutes when worn, especially in the early weeks.
• Breastfeeding on the go becomes possible. Some carriers and slings allow you to feed discreetly while walking or shopping, once you and your baby have got the hang of positioning safely.
• It’s easier than a pram in a lot of situations. Stairs, busy shops, uneven pavements, public transport, none of these are a problem when your baby is strapped to you rather than in a buggy you’re trying to steer and lift.
• It can help with bonding, for both parents. Skin-to-skin style closeness isn’t just for mums. Partners who wear the baby regularly often say it helped them feel more confident and connected early on.

Choosing a carrier that suits you and your baby

There isn’t one “best” carrier. What suits you depends on your baby’s age and weight, your own body, and what you’ll be using it for. Most babywearing parents end up owning more than one over the first year or two.

Stretchy wraps

A long piece of stretchy fabric that you tie around your body before putting baby in. Great for newborns because they’re soft, snug and easy to adjust, but the stretch means they can start to sag once your baby is heavier (usually somewhere around 3 to 4 months, depending on the fabric), which can leave a bigger baby sitting in an awkward position rather than properly supported. Good for the very early months, less good long term.

Woven wraps

These look similar to stretchy wraps but the fabric is woven, not stretchy, so it holds its shape and gives much firmer support. They take a bit more practice to tie, but once you know a couple of basic carries you can use them from newborn right through to toddlerhood, front, hip or back. Many babywearing parents consider these the most versatile option, even though there’s more of a learning curve.

Soft structured (buckle) carriers

These have padded straps and buckles instead of fabric you tie yourself, a bit like a rucksack. Most are adjustable across a few carrying positions and are quick to put on and take off, which makes them popular for anyone who feels nervous about tying wraps. Look for one that lets baby sit in a natural “M” shaped position with knees higher than bottom, rather than dangling with legs straight down, and that supports right up to the base of the neck for younger babies who can’t yet hold their own head steady.

Meh dais and half buckles

A sort of hybrid between a wrap and a buckle carrier. There’s a rectangular fabric panel that sits against baby, with long straps that tie around the waist and over the shoulders instead of clipping in. You get a lot of the adjustability of a wrap with slightly less faffing about than a full woven wrap.

Ring slings

A single length of fabric threaded through two rings, worn over one shoulder. These are the quickest carriers to put on and take off, which makes them great for quick trips to the shop or the school run, but because the weight sits on one shoulder rather than being spread across both, they’re not usually the most comfortable choice for hours at a time.

A few safety points worth knowing

Babywearing is safe and widely recommended, but position matters. The most commonly used safety guideline is TICKS: your baby should be Tight (not loose or saggy in the fabric), In view at all times (you should be able to glance down and see their face), Close enough to kiss (their head near your chin), Keep chin off chest (there should be a finger’s width of space, so their airway stays open), and Supported back (in a natural, slightly curved position, not ramrod straight).

A few extra things to bear in mind:

• Newborns and younger babies need proper head and neck support until they can hold their own head up reliably.
• Avoid carriers or positions that leave legs dangling straight down for long periods, as the recommended “frog leg” or M-shaped position is generally considered better for hip development, particularly if there’s any known risk of hip dysplasia in your family.
• Check the weight and age guidelines on whichever carrier you buy, and don’t exceed them.
• Be careful with baby’s temperature under a carrier, especially in summer or if you’re wearing them under a coat, as it’s easy for them to overheat without you noticing.
• If your baby was premature, has low muscle tone, reflux, or any other medical condition, it’s sensible to check with your health visitor, midwife or GP before babywearing, and to get some hands-on guidance the first few times.

If you’re new to it, it’s worth looking for a local sling library or babywearing consultant if there’s one near you. Many will let you try different carriers before you buy, and can show you the basics in person, which is far easier than learning from instructions alone.

Whichever carrier you end up with, and you’ll probably end up with more than one as your baby grows, babywearing is one of those rare things in early parenting that genuinely makes life easier while also being good for your baby. It’s worth the initial faff.