Join CLE and parent educator Sarah McCormick and Otolaryngologist Nina Shapiro as they discuss the benefits of wearing a baby. By keeping your baby snug in a sling, it makes them still feel in utero. They can hear their mother’s heartbeat, feel her warmth, and smell her. Not all babies however want to be carried in a sling, but if they do, it can be a great way to get around with your baby. While using a sling is very safe, it’s important to understand how to use it safely. You always want to ensure your child’s face is exposed to air.

Transcript:

- There are so many benefits to wearing baby. They can be close to mom, mom can be close to baby. They can feel your warmth, smell your smell, hear your heartbeat, and it feels just like it felt to be in utero. But it's important to remember that not all babies wanna be worn, and not all moms wanna wear babies. Some babies really need a lot of space, like my son who wanted to move his arms and legs all the time. And some babies like to be close and confined and cuddled, like my daughter. If you have a colicky baby or a baby with reflux it can be, feel really good to be so close to mom all the time. And the jiggling helps them to digest. Wearing babies is a great alternative to keeping them confined in car seats and swings and contraptions all the time. It's a great way to get around with baby, and if baby will tolerate it for long periods of time, they can also nap in the sling when you're out running errands. Baby slings and baby carriers are absolutely safe. But what you need to do is to know how to use them safely. There have been some reports of babies dying while they've been in baby slings or baby carriers. The reason for this is very similar to the reason that babies of SIDS, or sudden infant death syndrome. They fall asleep, they're in an enclosed area, and they just stop breathing. It's a silent death, you don't know that your child's not breathing. So to use a carrier or a sling safely, you need to keep your baby's face exposed. They have a tiny little nose, a tiny little mouth. They usually only breathe their nose for the first few months of life. So keep their face exposed to air, and the carriers are very safe.