Top Five Benefits of Babywearing for Dads
Babywearing is a brilliant way for dads to bond with their babies, getting the oxytocin flowing through skin-to-skin snuggles. Nap times, nipping out without the faff of a buggy, doing the washing up or heading to the pub - getting hands-free with a carrier makes everything easier!
Here are our top 5 benefits of babywearing for dads:
1. BONDING
Babywearing enables dads to have skin-to-skin contact with their babies, which gets all that lovely oxytocin (aka 'the love hormone') flowing. Oxytocin strengthens the bond between a father and his child, and also helps reduce stress and anxiety levels for both.
2. SUPPORT WITH POSTNATAL DEPRESSION
Postnatal depression doesn't just affect mums. Having a baby is a huge life change for both parents. The NCT reports that "the number of men who become depressed in the first year after becoming a dad is double that of the general population. Twenty five percent of dads experience mild depressive symptoms and around 10% to 12% have a diagnosis of depression."
There is evidence to support the belief that babywearing helps alleviate the symptoms of postnatal depression; research by Wear My Baby found 89% of parents surveyed said that using a baby carrier had a positive impact on their mental health.
3. BACK SUPPORT
Your back can really take a beating when you're constantly leaning over into car seats and buggies, lifting things at funny angles or moving big pieces of equipment around.
A well-fitted baby carrier will support your posture and spread the weight of your baby comfortably across your body. We offer a free fit check with every wrap or carrier purchase from IzmiBaby.com, to make sure your carrier is set up safely and comfortably. There's no time limit after purchase to take us up on this. More info about fit checks here.
4. MUM CAN SLEEP
Dad + baby carrier = being hands-free to look after mum, the house, the chores, both in the initial postnatal recovery period and longer term. Mum gets a break and dad gets to connect with baby!
Babywearing dads are more likely to recognise hunger, tiredness or discomfort in their baby sooner, and to respond as needed; becoming more involved in the day-to-day care of their baby can be a big confidence boost for dads. And did we mention mum gets to sleep?!
5. GO TO THE PUB
Or the supermarket. Or to pick up your other kids from school. Or to meet your friends. Wherever you need to go, getting out of the house is SO much less faff when you ditch the buggy and get out and about hands-free. Cheers to that.
All Izmi Baby wraps and carriers are super adjustable and can easily be shared between parents of all different body shapes and sizes.
Being a new parent is hard; baby carriers shouldn't be. So just get an Izmi.