You Can Boost your Baby’s Learning by Babywearing.

It is all over child care books and the internet, that children’s development must be supported from the time they are foetuses through every stage of their growing up, otherwise, they will drop behind, they won’t be admitted to the appropriate school, college, and all sorts of disasters are bound to come around. And what will happen then?

As an old, experienced mother I ensure you that nothing bad will happen. It is OK if your child doesn’t get into the top notch school, and it is also OK if he isn’t admitted to the desired top notch university straight away. Given that he really wants to pass, a healthy 18-19 year old “child” is able to prepare for the entrance exam, even if his parents never took him to a single developmental activity as an infant.

But let’s go back to infancy!

Optimal environment is the only necessary thing needed for the baby’s development.

But there may be some misunderstanding at this point.

What was considered an optimal environment by our parents and grandparents? And what do we think about it?

Babies of the previous generations were kept in cribs, preferably in separate rooms. They were protected from draught, wind, noise, and utmost tranquility was thought to be necessary for them. If you think about it, it sounds logical. What do newborns do during the first weeks (if everything goes well)? They eat and sleep. You need silence, darkness and calmness for sleeping – at least a European adult would think so. The only thing no one realizes is that the baby is not a little adult. His natural environment differs entirely from what our grandparents thought.

The natural environment for the baby is his mother. If he is put into a separate room, into a crib, he lacks sensory stimuli. He either feels indignant and objects with crying, or he “withdraws” and sleeps for long hours. He meets developmental stimuli only during “care tasks”, such as changing nappies, feeding, bathing, or playing. If he is carried all day long by his mother or another adult instead of being placed into a separate room and a crib, he meets naturally occurring stimuli necessary for his learning. At the same time, he arrives to his own sleep-wake cycle. If he wants to be looking around, he can do just that, and if he would rather sleep, he cuddles to his mum, and goes to sleep.

Necessary stimuli

Let’s take them one by one. What can a carried baby see? Her natural environment, from a natural point of view. Lots of colour, light, objects with contrasts, and she can make out her mothers face from the beginning. It is unnecessary to buy interesting, scientifically reasoned baby books, since everything is given for sight development.

What does a carried baby hear? While she is awake, she can hear natural life noises, like human conversation. When she falls asleep huddling close to her mom’s chest, she can hear the familiar thudding heart beat, which calms her. You don’t need to buy a musical teddy bear, or a gadget that speaks, imitates the hum of ocean waves or the throbbing of the heart.

What does a carried baby feel? The softness of her mom, her warmth, the safe embrace of the sling, and the changes in temperature. She is continually learning about the human environment, while she feels perfectly safe.

Experiencing movement is very important. As the parent moves, the baby moves, too. This means, that the little one uses her muscles almost all the time: she follows the movements of the carrying adult, keeps herself continuously in balance, and this helps her get stronger. In the meantime, the balance system of the inner ear is exposed to a plethora of stimuli, and interestingly, it helps a lot in creating better connections between different parts of the nervous system. Integrating various sensations and feelings is made easier, and the chance for attention deficit disorder or hyperactivity decreases.

So actually, you help your baby’s development by babywearing, although you don’t do anything special. You don’t need to buy educational toys, teach her or practice anything with her. It is enough to “simply” exist, together, in harmony. And your baby will learn on her own.

About The Author: Judit Szody

After I graduated from secondary school I wasn't accepted to university, so I had to work for a year. I was very lucky that destiny threw me in at the deep end: I was employed in a child psychiatry, where children from the age of four to eighteen with serious psychiatric problems were treated. I learnt there, that I am able to sympathize with those seeking help, and accept their differences. I enrolled to university next year, and finally graduated as a psychologist. During my study years, I gave birth to my three sons, who provided me with practical experience. While I was writing my thesis, I made interviews with eighty mothers about childbirth and breastfeeding. I became convinced that not the mother herself, rather the proper breastfeeding method, as well as the help and emotional support provided for breastfeeding is responsible for breastfeeding to last as long as it is good for the mother and the child. I was working as a journalist while I was on maternity leave. My steady topics were – and still are – pregnancy and the first years after birth: parent-child relationship, upbringing and breastfeeding. I joined the Hungarian Association for Breastfeeding, where I have the opportunity to work together with experienced professionals, I have access to the latest technical literature, and I can participate in conferences abroad. Within the framework of MÉRCE association, I worked in the project that surveyed the obstetrical wards in Hungary. Our work resulted in publishing two instalments of Guide to Childbirth (later the title Where is the best place to give birth? while I was working for Sanoma Publisher,) which has helped thousands of families to get a line on advice regarding childbirth, obstetrics practices and events surrounding delivery (psychological changes, breastfeeding etc.) My daughter, who was born in 1999, enjoyed the fruits of my experience and knowledge. Beside taking care of my child, I kept on working as a journalist, managed a moms club, led the conversation on breastfeeding for a day of the course organised by Alternatal Foundation, and also worked as a breastfeeding adviser for an internet service. I have still performed these duties, and additionally, I gained the title IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) in 2003, hence I can look upon myself officially as a lactation consultant. As an editor of Kismama Magazin (Moms Magazine), I encounter questions concerning baby care, upbringing, breastfeeding daily. These, by their nature, must be given up-to-date answers. Telephone helpline is a a part of my everyday life: I receive calls from all over the country, even from abroad. At present, I am the lactation consultant at the obstetrics of Uzsoki Hospital. I feel that the factual knowledge gained during my studies, the information attained from families and mothers, and more than nineteen years of being a practicing parent helps a lot in my work.