babywearing & gross motor development

[Shanaynay]

Hi all,

I'm a babywearer :thumbsup: and lately I have found I am wearing DD most of the day. She loves it, I love it, no real probem, but Im just wondering........do you think babies who are worn are slower in gross motor development such as crawling and walking because they aren't getting as much practice and oppurtunity to strengthen the muscles needed?

Just wondering!
xx

[Pixie]

I wear Eliza a lot she started crawling at 6 mths 3 weeks, she's stopped now :( but she has great fine motor skills I don't think it would delay them.

[aardvark]

I have regularly worn DS since he was born. He is now close to 10 months, and close to walking!!!

If it has delayed him, all I can say is "Thank Goodness"!!

[Reidymac]

I actually studied this (a long time ago). So many cultures baby wear/ papoose their children for reasons of culture/ convenience and safety that there is actually a great deal of research done on the pro's and cons.

Everything I read said that children who were exclusively carried for the first 6-12 months of life gained motor skills at the exact same rate as children who were not carried. There was even a suggestion that once walking (carried children) were actually more independent of their mothers in both motor and cognitive skills. :detective:

[Shanaynay]

Thanks Rediymac :smiliedance:

[faery]

i wore ds pretty much all day for the first 3 months and i still wear him alot now.
he is 8 months and commando rolling, nearly crawling and pulling himself up to standing by himself.
I wish it had delayed him:laughing:
after the first 3 months or so, he wanted to be out of the sling and having floor time and learning to sit up. he would go in the sling for 20 minutes top. then a couple months later, he loved the sling again and wanted to be in it all the time. I just did what he wanted and he hasn't been delayed at all. he let me know when he needed to be out.

[MordecaiAliVanAllenO'Shea]

I've heard that baby-wearing can actually help to develpp their muscle -tone - something to do with feeling the mothers movements as you walk. I'm not sure of the details of this...
Mel

PS I carry bub heaps and he is just on 7months and almost crawling, sits very well with quite a straight back (no slouching or slumped).

[danielle13]

I wore DD exclusively for her first 4 weeks or so (couldn't lift the pram due to c/s), and since then about 40% of the time I take her out in our hug-a-bub. It doesn't seem to have affected her muscle development one bit, in fact I often get people commenting on how strong she is (she could hold her head up at 2weeks :eek: ).

[pegasus]

I am an Occupational Therapist and remember a lecture at uni where we discussed this. Apparently babies in countries where the mothers wear their babies in cotton/rice/whatever fields still attain their developmental milestones at the same time as their western peers.

I've been slinging this bub, but never wore my son (carried him if out, but didn't have a sling to wear him when working at home). I'm pretty sure this bub is developing at the same rate as my son.

PS I'd be interested if anybody knows to what age women who wear their kids in working fields wear their kids. I asked this in another thread but nobody answered. Just curious to know to how old they are getting swaddled to their back. No reason really, except I thought it's a good back up to anyone who has a critic of them wearing/swaddling their bub.

[Shanaynay]

Pegasus...

I'm pretty sure in places like India and Pakistan, they are still worn on back until about 2.5 years. At this age I guess it wouldn't be ALL the time, but when they are busy and need them close, or in a not-so-safe environment.

Isn't it interesting how babies can get little 'practice', yet still develop at the same rate! It's fascinating!
...I'm going to have to look into it more!

[reAllytee]

Boof was slow doing everything but i wouldnt put that down to him being carried or slinged by me i think its more the fact that he has always been double the size of most bubbas at every step so it takes him more effort to do things !

[kymmy]

I have read that a sling encourages independance in toddlers which is what pushed me to buy a sling. My bub is quite clingy and I am tired from carrying him but now with thesling I have noticed he wants to explore more. He is not yet walking. But my non slinged boy didn't walk til 14mths.