Babies in slings get more nurturing
By Kate Everson 08.12.05
Quinte West - A baby on the hip is a happy baby, says Corrine Mahar-Sylvestre of Batawa. A mother of two children, ages six and two, she has the experience to prove it.
“I used a sling for my last child all the time,” she says. “I kept her close while my son walked. It was a lot easier than putting her in a carrier.”
But convenience is not the main reason Corrine is trying to get more mothers to use the baby slings. She says it has been proven that babies need human touch more than anything, as part of their nurturing process. In fact, a website called Nine in, Nine out <www.nineinnineout.com> says the nine months in the womb should be followed by the same close bond in the following nine months as the baby grows.
“I started making the hip slings four years ago,” Corrine says. “As a doula I would give it as a present to the new mother.”
Now she is not working as a doula any more, but has kept sewing the baby carriers in her own home, marketing them to new mothers through word of mouth or through other support groups she belongs to for breastfeeding and postpartum depression. Women can choose their own fabric and pattern and get custom-made carriers. Corrine even gives them tips on how to use them.
“There are several positions,” she explains. “You can have the baby in front for breastfeeding, or face him to the front or side, or even wear it on your hip when it is older.”
She says the slings are good from birth to about 30 pounds and are built to support the child as well as the mother. The wide fabric is comfortable and strong.
“I even did my vacuuming with the baby in the sling,” she says. “She loved the sound of the vacuum. It was like being in the womb!”
Corrine says women have been using versions of a baby sling for thousands of years and it is just now becoming popular again. Some commercial versions are not as comfortable as the ones she makes. Hers are of heavy cotton twill or with a lycra for more stretch. There is only one ring, made of strong lightweight aluminum, and the rest is all one piece of fabric, with no other buttons or snaps, just one French seam. She will even show women how to make their own if they prefer. See her website at <www.hipslings.ca> or call her at (613) 398-6474.
“I have walked three hours at the mall wearing the sling, no problem,” she smiles.
SOURCE:
http://www.communitypress-online.com...id(News)=23414
Babies in slings get more nurturing
