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There is nothing more comforting to an infant than being held heart-to-heart with mama. This natural carrying position soothes children with a familiar sound of mama's heartbeat. That trust and contentment that is felt by your infant gives caregivers an undeniable bonding sensation. While holding your baby heart-to-heart gives mothers so much joy it is a tiring position that would likely require resting your arms in a relatively short period of time. A wrap style baby carrier is a perfect way to replicate this heart-to-heart sensation for longer periods of time than possible without the assistance of a child carrier.
The wrap style carrier is a simple design, that does not contain any buckles or fasteners of any type. In fact, your child is resting directly on your body and the carrier is used to secure your child in place. These carriers are most times made from a relatively long and straight piece of fabric that is approximately 15-18 feet long. The center of the fabric is placed across your abdomen and then wrapped back around your body creating a front "belt". The fabric is then crossed in the back and brought back up over your shoulders (creating an 'X' across your back). It is then crossed again in the front, slipped through the front "belt" and tied behind your back in a double knot. This creates a starting point for many of the wraps carrying positions.
As your child grows, your carrying positions and tying techniques change with you to accommodate the different carrying needs of your growing child. The cradle and heart-to-heart holds are popular for infants. With each of these holds your baby is securely wrapped in a cocoon of fabric creating a womb-like warmth and security. The kangaroo & the hip carries are quite popular with the little ones that have good head control. With these carrying positions the child's head is not supported by the carrier and their limbs are outside which allows them to experience the same visual & touch sensations of there caregiver from within a safe and secure environment.
The fabric for these carriers can be made from many materials, but the jersey knit and crinkle cotton are some of the most popular because they provide a slight stretch which adds to the comfort of the product. The absence of buckles, straps & fasteners of any type also adds comfort and creates a unique environment where nothing comes between you and your baby.
Due to the many carrying positions possible with a wrap and the simple design; wraps are extremely versatile but they do have a slightly higher learning curve than some of the other child carriers available on the market. The payoff is in comfort (for parent & child) as well as the natural feel of the carrying positions that most infants will find irresistible. To aide in the learning process, most of the wrap style carriers on the market will come with a DVD or instruction manual that demonstrates each of these techniques. After 3-5 attempts most caregivers feel confident with the process and are quickly and easily able to use a wrap.
Wrap style baby carriers are especially beneficial for premature babies or babies & toddlers with special needs that thrive when provided extra body to body contact. Research by Dr. Nils Bergman has concluded that a mother's chest will actually respond to her baby's needs by warming if her baby feels is cold or cooling if the infant becomes too warm. The natural response of a mother's body is to respond to the biofeedback provided by her infant and adjust to accommodate her baby's needs. Dr. Sears and many other experts have also concluded that skin to skin contact and baby wearing can:
stabilize a baby's stress hormones, blood pressure, oxygenation, temperature, and heart rate. aide in preventing and reducing symptoms of colic reduce crying increase baby's weight increase baby's overall health boost mother's milk supply
Not only are wrap style baby carriers soft & comfortable, but they are affordable as well; with average prices ranging from $40 - $65. This price is far below the average cost of a mechanical swing or seat -- which doesn't give your baby the same bonding experience and often times doesn't soothe as well. Within the comforting confines of a wrap style carrier, the heart-to-heart bonding between parent and child can become a treasured moment created daily.
