(This is part 3 of the Babywearing interview with Rebecca Wolf. Go here for parts 1 and 2)

Carrie:   Well, you mentioned the talking about how wearing baby stimulates their brains and I have always said that a baby sling can substitute for so many baby gadgets and so much baby gear.  Everything from the Pack 'n Play, the exersaucer, the johnny jump up, the swing, the this and that.  Another thing would be the baby Einstein videos, baby TV, baby…

Rebecca Wolf:  Do not even get me started!

Carrie:  Yeah.  I am on a real tear about baby TV and baby videos that are marketed.  I just saw a commercial the other day, I cannot remember where I was but I saw a commercial for some kind of-- oh I know, I was at the gym and I saw this mom in the commercial, just a one year old on her lap and the one year old was pushing a button on some kind of little gadget that sits on her lap that makes the TV change, it is Winnie the Pooh and this and that and I thought, "Just read the kid a story." 

Please, do we not have enough screens in our lives?  Would it really be so hard to just read the baby a story?  If your goal is to make your baby smarter then just talk to your baby, read to your baby, sing to your baby, love your baby, touch your baby.  Anyway, so we can add that to the list of things that a sling can replace.

Rebecca Wolf:  Definitely, that is an excellent point.  I think I will add that in my next book because it is true, the best learning environment for a child to be in is the home environment where they see what you do in your life as you go about living.  That is the best place for them to learn.  So those are some of the examples of how babywearing boosts a child's intellectual development.  There are also physical development benefits that it provides too.  I remember with my daughter, I do not know if you had this experience or not with your babywearing but when she started to act fuzzy or cry and I knew that her other needs have been met, she was fed, she was changed, she had a nap.  I knew that she was just trying to tell me that she needed to be carried.  Her behavior would start to get erratic and I can tell that she needed me to be close to her so that I could help to regulate her own physical…

Carrie:  To organize her.

Rebecca Wolf:  Her system, her cardiovascular system and her vestibular system, which is your balance system.  All of those things need support in a baby.  I always call babywearing, it is like training wheels for a child developing that self-regulation and learning how to moderate those systems on their own because they are close to someone who is able to do that and doing that so we are modeling that for them. 

Babywearing is also because of the low stress that also helps colicky babies a lot because if they are relaxed then it can help aid their digestion.  I know some babies who have reflux or GERD, it may make them more comfortable if they are in an upright position as well so that they could feel better. 

I know it is also been used for premature babies to help them thrive, to give them that kind of womb-like environment of a touch and association with the proper nutrition and having the walking motion and hearing the human heartbeat, all of those things are very comforting to a baby.  Those are some of the physical benefits to a child and then of course, there is the emotional where you bond with your baby and really kind of communicate with each other and learn each other's cues.  It provides a great foundation for them to kind of grow from.  

I wanted to share with you, I do have a free eCourse that talks more in-depth about these benefits of babywearing and the URL for that is www.thrivingbabies.com . Sign up for the free eCourse there if they want to learn more about the babywearing benefits to the baby as well as to the parents.  So, those are the benefits for the baby and also some benefits for your listeners.

Carrie:  I think that your book is very important because I am around moms a lot and oftentimes when someone suggest trying a sling, they will say something like, "Well you know I try that and my baby fussed so we could not get the hang of it.  It did not work.  He did not seem to like it," and a lot of times I think that is because they are may be choosing the wrong style carrier for their baby's size and their size or their body frame or what have you or even for their climate because that can make a difference as to what kind of sling you choose.  What your climate is like?  I think your book is just wonderful to help guide moms to pick the right carrier.

Rebecca Wolf:  Thanks.  Yeah, that is a great point.  There are just so many different carriers available out there.  When I first started my baby wearing journey, I had no idea.  It is so much fun to kind of play around with what is out there and see all the different choices and kind of know where each one originates from a different country or a different culture. 

I just find that stuff fascinating but it is true, if you look at my book, it was so organized in my review criteria about reviewing each one of the carriers.  I talked about the different styles that are available for each carrier.  I rate them on ease of use.  I rate them on adjustability.  I rate them on how-- if they allow you to breastfeed.  I rate them on how portable they are, what their weight limits are, what I found their pros and cons to be.  I take an example of each one and I kind of draw out the anatomy so you know what the vocabulary is and what each thing is called as well as giving the instructions. 

There are just so many choices out there.  It really boggles the mind.  So, I really wanted to have all of the choices in my book.  I did not want to dam anything down for anyone but I also wanted to give people a guide so that they could kind of navigate through all of these information because when I first started doing information on and offline, I was overwhelmed at all of the different styles and choices here were and sometimes I did not even understand what they were talking about or I could not visualize it.  So in my book, I have tried to simplify those choices for people as well as how they can make a very informed choice.  So all of that information is there so that you can make the best choice for you. 

I remember those days when I was a new parent and I thought any little thing that I can do to help out another new parent, I am sure it will be greatly appreciated.

Carrie:  Yeah.  Well Rebecca, thank you so much for coming on this show this weekend, sharing all of your great tips and information.

Rebecca Wolf:  Sure.  It has been my pleasure.