I like to carry my 4 month old in a carrier while I do chores around the house. How much independent time does she need during the day to play? How much babywearing is too much?
2007-03-23 04:58:01 · 6 answers · asked by Charm City Mom 1 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
Theres no such thing as too much babywearing. All though there is such a thing as doing too many chores!
2007-03-23 05:03:27 · answer #1 · answered by lillilou 7 · 4⤊ 1⤋
I disagree. Babywearing is fine for newborns who need the closeness, plus the eating/sleeping issue. Older infants (four months and over) DO need to have quality floor/tummy time. To me, excessively carrying a baby is as much a hindrance as putting him in a playpen. When you do chores, put on the floor an activity gym/mat and have some dangling toys and he can engage himself with that for at least fifteen minutes. Then you can rotate him to something else. Then when your chores are done you can give him some personal time. There CAN be a delay in crawling, etc. if the baby isn't allowed to practice motor skills on their own. One of the women on my pregnancy forum who chose to babywear everywhere has a nine month old who is still largely immobile. Not saying that you shouldn't carry your baby everywhere, but try and follow nature's guide and let your baby be independent. My daughter doesn't even want to be worn now if I offered it to her (she's nine months). She'd rather be down on the floor playing
2007-03-23 12:23:30 · answer #2 · answered by MomofOneSpnkyGrl 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
i'd say give her an hour of tummy time a day (can be spaced out) and that should be fine.. be careful of carrying her around too much.. Some of the carriers (mostly front and back type carriers) are hard on the babies body and can cause their bones to not develop properly. Slings are fine. but in general just carrying her around with you isn't a problem.
as far as the concern of her being carried too much.. i doubt that would cause her to be co-dependent. My daughter (10 months) is extremely co dependent on me, but i hardly ever carried her around. It'll just depend on her personality
2007-03-27 00:33:14 · answer #3 · answered by illiana 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think, you should carry him around as long as you want. Nevertheless it is not harmful if you leave him alone playing. Have him nearby you, when you are in the kitchen,etc, so he will see and hear you, keep talking to him,etc. Carrying around is not bad, babies love it, but it can be bad for your back, because babies get heavier. So you should put him down once in a while, specially mornings, when he is in a good mood, only carry him, when he wants to be with you otherwise let him play indepentendly so he will learn to be alone, and also sleep alone (in case he is not doing that yet). Around 2-4 hours a day alone is ok to be alone playing. Put music on, have toys near him, etc.
2007-03-23 12:05:14 · answer #4 · answered by Julia E 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
a 4 month old doesn't need independent play.. a few minutes a day is fine. Babies who are worn actually have better neck control and usually are able to walk/crawl earlier anyway so "tummy time" isn't necessary. That's just a product of kids who sit in car seats/bouncers/swings all day. She'll let you know when she wants to get down and play - give it a few months. You're doing great!
2007-03-23 12:04:49 · answer #5 · answered by junenorth 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Babies do need "tummy time"...even at 4 months old. How will your baby develop muscle strength in their arms and legs if they are being carried around all day? Yeah, they will have neck control because they have to hold their head up to keep from smothering in your chest. I completely understand your need to bond with your child, but your child will never be able to self-soothe and she will always be totally dependent on you. Put her down for awhile...you carried her around for 9 months-take a break!
2007-03-23 12:10:16 · answer #6 · answered by Twin+1 Mommy 3 · 3⤊ 4⤋