Babywearing and Bonding: What Carrying Does for You Both

Most new parents want to hold their baby all the time. That's a good instinct. Your baby spent nine months close to you, and being near your body is what they know.

A baby carrier lets you keep doing that with your hands free. Here's what carrying can mean for the two of you, and how to do it well.

Close to you

In a carrier your baby smells you, hears your voice and feels you move. Many babies settle more easily when they're this close. Not every time, but often.

You get to know your baby faster too. You notice the small signals, like the restless wriggle before a feed or the yawn that means they've had enough. Because they're right there, you can respond quickly.

For partners as well

When your partner carries the baby, they get that same time up close. A walk round the block in the morning can become their moment with the baby.

Carrying well

Babywearing consultants use a simple checklist called TICKS:

• Tight: snug against you, so your baby doesn't slump.
• In view: you can see their face by looking down.
• Close enough to kiss: their head is high enough to kiss the top of it.
• Keep chin off chest: there's room for a finger under their chin.
• Supported back: their back is supported in its natural shape.

Your baby's legs sit in an M shape: knees a little higher than their bottom, with the carrier supporting them from knee to knee. Not sure it's right? Ask your midwife or health visitor to take a look.

Where the Solace Carrier fits in

You can use the Solace Carrier from birth (3.2 kg), with your baby facing you. The seat adjusts so your baby sits in the M position, and the neck support folds up when you need it. Later you can carry facing out (from about 6 months) and on your back (from about 12 months). It is acknowledged as hip-healthy by the IHDI.

In the end it's simple. Your baby wants to be near you, and a carrier makes that easier to keep up.