Press Release – Babywearing: The Benefits and Beauty of This Ancient Tradition

 New Book Names Babywearing as One of Parenting’s Best Kept Secrets

Dallas, TX – New parents all over the country are trying out the ancient art of babywearing as a way of meeting their baby’s needs while simultaneously being able to get things done. Babywearing, the practice of carrying baby in a soft carrier close to our body as we go about our daily business, is perhaps one of parenting’s best kept secrets. Indeed, babywearing has become trendy. Celebrities such as Brooke Shields, Kate Hudson, Cindy Crawford, Courteney Cox-Arquette and Gwyneth Paltrow have all been recently spotted wearing their babies.

Studies show that babies who are worn often cry less, are more calm and content, sleep more peacefully, nurse better, gain weight better, enjoy better digestion and develop better. Babywearing has also been shown to benefit parents. It enhances parent-baby bonding, is safe and practical, offers hands-free convenience, facilitates breastfeeding, helps working parents reconnect, and makes transitions from one caregiver to another easier. Anyone can wear baby – mom, dad, sister, brother, grandparents, baby sitters, day care workers. The more baby is worn the happier baby is. And, a happy baby makes for a happy family.

Jennifer Norton, creator of TheBabyWearer.com, an on-line babywearing resource center notes: “Babywearing has the potential to revolutionize parenting in Western nations. Just consider how fulfilling parenting could be with a happy baby and two free hands.”

Dallas area physician, author and mother of two, Maria Blois, M.D. has just published a book devoted to this timely and medically sound subject. Her new book, Babywearing: The Benefits and Beauty of This Ancient Tradition, was inspired by the earlier work of renowned pediatrician Dr. William Sears, an early champion of babywearing, and the one who actually coined the term babywearing.

As a new mom, Dr. Blois stumbled across her first sling by accident. She relates: “My first baby was two weeks old, and I came across a sling display. I tried it on and my daughter nestled down and went right to sleep with a sigh of contentment. I felt like I was on to something BIG here.” She began using the sling regularly and was pleased when her baby seemed more content. Chores around the house became easier. The public response to the sling was profound. People would stop her in the streets asking questions about the sling. She found herself doing impromptu demonstrations in parking lots and writing sling information on scraps of paper for all those parents. When she carried her two-month-old daughter in the sling at a wedding, another guest approached and said, “I have been a pediatrician for the past 35 years and I have never seen such a content little baby. I have been watching you all evening and your baby never fusses! I am going to recommend this sling to all my patients.”

Despite such positive reviews, she rarely saw other babies in slings. All around her, babies were eing pushed in strollers and carriages. She was mystified. Why was such a wonderful contraption for both mother and baby so hard to come by? While learning more about the devices that carry babies, she stumbled upon a vast store of medical literature supporting the idea of keeping baby close. As it turned out, wearing babies in a soft carrier did them a world of good, besides just making parents’ lives easier. Premature babies, especially, seem to benefit from being held constantly close to mother’s body in what is known as “kangaroo care.”

As a mother, she was interested in doing what was best for her own children, but as a physician, she was interested in studying what works well for other children. She decided that a book was needed that celebrated the wonderful benefits of babywearing referencing both medically-based research and anecdotal evidence. With her background as both a physician (well-versed in child development, physiology, and anatomy) and a babywearing mother, she was uniquely qualified to address some of the most frequently asked questions concerning babywearing.

In her Babywearing book, Dr. Blois presents medical evidence that babywearing is good for parents and babies in addition to merely the convenience aspects. Topics include babywearing in special situations, such as wearing multiples, adoptive babywearing, wearing the special needs baby, and kangaroo care of the premature infant. This 200 page book is full of practical advice from babywearers from all over the country, and boasts stunning, full-color photos of happy babies being carried by a variety of caregivers. She includes detailed step-by-step instructions for wearing baby in front, side and back positions in a variety of soft carriers including slings, pouches, wraparound carriers and packs, and ultimately helps us choose and use the carrier that is right for us.

About her book, Dr. Blois says, “I hope to contribute to the growing body of literature that values the parent-child attachment and envisions ours as a baby-friendly world.”

“With [this Babywearing] book, a pregnant woman or a new mom/dad has an immediate reference for exploring/understanding babywearing, choosing, purchasing and using slings and locating other resources. This book needed to be written and [Dr. Blois] is the perfect person to have written it.”- Shachi Yoshimoto Designer of the original 2 ringed sling

“If your babies could talk, they would ask you to please read this book and wear them as often as possible.” - William and Martha Sears, authors of The Baby Book