WHY DADS BABYWEAR By Jess Williamson (Babywearing with Jess) Slings and carriers can be a fantastic tool for parents of small children. The reasons fathers use these tools may be the same as many mothers; it can help comfort our children and give them a sense of security, carried babies tend to cry less and settle more quickly, it can
help with reflux and other digestive issues and it saves your back; carrying a child in an ergonomic, well fitted carrier is much better for your posture and spine.
For dads specifically, carriers can help them share the load of a new baby in their family. It can facilitate bonding and it can be really helpful for them to feel the same sense of closeness as that the mother may have felt during pregnancy. Oxytocin, the love hormone, is important for all of us and carrying our children close gives our bodies a big surge of it, which is so critical for bonding. Carriers can provide a sense of freedom and act as practical resource in the parenting tool kit, which can really help minimise the chance of postnatal distress or depression. It is important to remember that it is not just mothers who can suffer from this and it can be just as difficult and debilitating in some cases for dads, even if it is commonly expressed differently. 26 PALMY PARENT . PALMERSTON NORTH PARENTS CENTRE MAGAZINE
