Research is showing that babies who are worn often by their parents have increased visual and auditory alertness, two factors that contribute to a baby learning about the world.
There are two factors that experts believe contribute to this phenomena. The first is that wearing a baby puts it into a state of content alertness. Instead of crying or demanding attention, the baby is quiet and happy. This situation of content alertness is the state when babies can process learning the best. Since babies who are worn have more time spent in quiet alertness, they have more opportunity to learn.
The other fact that is said to give babies who are worn an advantage is the fact that there is usually more interaction between the baby and the parent. Because the baby is close at hand, the mom (or dad, or caregiver) has more of an opportunity to talk, sing and more to her baby. In addition, babies who are worn in a cradle hold get more face time with the parent, and that also increases learning.
In separate research, studies have shown that the human face is a powerful stimulus for interpersonal bonding and learning in a baby, especially when the faces are in the same position as they would be in a cradle hold.
That is not to say that your baby should be wore in the cradle hold all of the time. In the kangaroo hold in which a baby is worn facing out at the world, the baby will get a good view of what is in front of her and can choose what it is that she would like to look at and for how long. The choices made as well as the visual stimulation can all aid in learning.
Have you ever worn your baby? What do you think?
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