Why Baby Carriers Can Help You Beat The Pushchair Blues}

Why baby carriers can help you beat the pushchair blues

by

Mark Moon

Most mothers and many fathers know the benefits of using a pushchair for their little ones; you simply secure your child and off you go. However, most parents are also aware of the drawbacks of using a pushchair: if you are travelling by train or car, the streamlined pushchair suddenly becomes a cumbersome device that you somehow have to collapse and jam into an appropriate space. Once you reach your destination, it has to be unpacked and resurrected to its original form, which is often easier said than done.

On top of this, there is also the issue of access: many shop doorways and restaurant entrances are not designed to accommodate pushchairs. We have all seen frustrated parents trying to open a door with one hand and get the pushchair through the entrance as quickly as possible with the other hand. Then there are stairs to contend with and the problems thrown up by going off the beaten track; many a ramble has been thwarted by not having an off-road buggy. Shopping becomes more difficult and pushchairs can be easily tipped up by overloading the handles with shopping bags. So, what’s the alternative?

Baby carriers offer some obvious solutions. The parent is able to manoeuvre more easily through shops and crowds, doorways are no longer a problem, stairs are less awkward, shopping can be carried sensibly, alternative routes can be taken and the storage issue is made redundant. But research indicates that there are other benefits to using baby carriers as opposed to pushchairs.

There are many types of baby carriers available, some of which offer a versatility in carriage; the baby can be carried in front, on the hip, reclining or on the back. Using a baby carrier means that the child can also be fed more easily, sometimes on the move if the situation dictates. The weight of the baby is also spread evenly across the carrier’s back and shoulders, leaving the arms free.

Baby carriers can also be important to a child’s development in the early stages of its life. Being carried against another human body not only offers the child warmth, but it helps to recreate the environment of the womb, where the child feels secure and nurtured. The closeness of the carrier’s heartbeat adds to this soothing effect, providing a familiar and reassuring sound for the child.

Many parents know how their child can be calmed and even sent off to sleep just by rocking the child in their arms. Baby carriers provide this natural and calming effect through the rhythm of walking alone, but also allow the child to be involved in stimulating situations that can be regulated and monitored by the adult. The soothing effect is added to as the sound of the carrier’s voice resonates from their diaphragm and through the material of the baby carrier to the infant.

Of most benefit to the adult, of course, is the facility to have arms that are not restricted by pushchair handles and the size and bulk of the carriage itself. Previously difficult tasks can be made much easier by having free arms and an accurate spatial awareness of where the infant is. Many mothers say a baby carrier also gives the father an idea of just what is was like to be pregnant, but this couldn’t be reason alone to buy one could it?

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Why baby carriers can help you beat the pushchair blues}