Ep. 37: Can Babywearing Help with Mother-Infant Relationships?

Babywearing is still somewhat fringe in our society, despite being exactly how babies have been kept close to parents for most of human history. I mean, it's not like we had strollers back in the stone age. When people utilize babywearing today, most do so for convenience. After all, if you've tried navigating strollers on public transit, you know the nightmare. But is there more to it? Attachment parenting advocates keeping babies close to build attachment and foster bonds, but does it really do that? This week I had a chance to talk to the one researcher who is bringing babywearing back to the lab to help us answer these very questions. Dr. Lela Rankin Williams of Arizona State University is the first researcher in decades to look at how babywearing may influence the relationship between baby and caregiver. If you've thought it's just a fad, I hope Dr. Williams can help change your mind. Dr. Lela Rankin Williams: https://cals.arizona.edu/fcs/faculty/affiliate/lela_williams Relevant Articles: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S016363831930181X https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/icd.2169 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0190740919311260 https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/wk/anc/2021/00000021/00000001/art00009 https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/wk/anc/2020/00000020/00000006/art00010 Center for Babywearing Studies: https://www.cbws.org/