The figures also reveal that baby slings are most popular with more affluent parents, with 68% of mums in the highest income bracket using, or planning to use, a sling.
Sally Wilkins, who invented the Wilkinet 25 years ago, says: "When I had my first child in the early 1970s I was one of only two mothers on a ward of 16 who breastfed. Every few hours the nurses would come round and ask me if I wanted a bottle of formula milk to supplement my feeding. I knew instinctively that breastfeeding was part of the caring, nurturing and cuddling that I wanted to do as a mother. Attitudes to breastfeeding have thankfully changed and it's much more popular, and encouraged.
“There are still many reasons why using a baby carrier makes a mother more likely to succeed from breastfeeding. On a practical level, after feeding a baby if you lie them down straight away they may still have wind, trapped during the feed. Holding them in an upright carrier allows them to bring up the burps easily and when their ready, making it less likely that the discomfort will disturb their sleep.
When you carry your baby in a sling the physical closeness enhances your ability to instinctively understand what they need when they start fussing or crying. The more time you spend with someone - whether a baby or adult - the more you understand their non-verbal communication. This means you are able to pick up on your baby's non-spoken cues that they are hungry. This allows you to feed them when they need it - not when the clock tells you”.
May 2007
For more information take a look at our Breast Feeding Section
What is Baby-Wearing?
CLICK HERE TO WIN A WILKINET BABY CARRIER. |
