Where are my keys again?

What did I start to say?

Why did I open this cupboard?

And where on earth did I leave my phone?

If you have recently had a baby and things like this happen to you a little more often, you have probably already heard the familiar explanation: “mom brain”.

Forgetfulness during pregnancy and after birth is something that so many women describe. You forget what you wanted to say in the middle of a sentence, you go from one room to another and by the time you get there you cannot remember why, you look for things that you always used to know exactly where to find.

And you wonder: is something really happening to me, or am I just so tired that I do not know what is going on?

The answer, it seems, is a little more interesting.

Is “mom brain” really a thing?

A meta-analysis of 20 studies, published in 2018, found that pregnant women performed on average slightly lower on some tests of memory, executive function and general cognitive function compared with women who were not pregnant. The differences were most noticeable in the third trimester.

But that “slightly” matters.

We are not talking about a woman who suddenly cannot think or function normally. We are talking about relatively small differences, which in most cases are probably felt more in the demands of everyday life than in a quiet assessment inside a lab.

The brain really does change during pregnancy

For many years “pregnancy brain” was treated more or less like a cute joke.

Today we know that pregnancy is a period of remarkable neuroplasticity.

MRI studies have recorded significant changes in the brain during pregnancy and after birth (some began to reverse after the birth, while others seem to remain for quite some time).

This might sound a little scary if we stop at “gray matter decreases”. But it does not mean that pregnancy destroys the brain or that we suddenly lose our minds.

Earlier research had already shown that some of the changes appear in areas linked to social perception and to responsiveness toward the baby itself. Researchers consider them part of the brain’s great adaptation to motherhood.

In short, pregnancy does not only change our belly, our breasts, our hormones and our sleep. To some extent, it also changes our brain.

And once the baby arrives?

“Have I completely lost it?”

With a newborn at home you try to function on two hours of sleep. You count how many times you have woken up, fed and changed the baby, and it feels like countless times. You wonder whether this tiny grumpy little creature is sleepy, hungry, in pain, or has simply decided that today it does not like anything.

Interrupted sleep and tiredness can naturally affect attention and memory. Older studies in new mothers have found a correlation between sleep loss and memory or psychomotor performance.

But there is one more factor that needs no study for us to understand:

You suddenly have far more things on your mind.

When did the baby eat? How much did it eat? Which side did I nurse from last time? How many diapers did it fill? Did I put a clean changing pad in the bag? Wipes? Pacifier? Did I switch off the water heater? When is the appointment with the pediatrician?

And on top of all that, you also have to remember your own keys.

Our brain does not have unlimited capacity for attention and working memory. When a large part of it is constantly busy with a new person who depends entirely on us, it is no wonder that small everyday pieces of information start to slip away.

Are you feeling more forgetful than you actually are?

Now here is the best part:

In a 2022 study, researchers compared 43 moms about a year after birth with 43 women without children.

When they objectively tested verbal memory, working memory and information processing speed, they found no significant differences between the two groups.

But when they asked the moms themselves how they felt about their memory, they believed it was worse!

And this feeling was linked to their sleep, their stress and their mood.

In other words, you may indeed be looking for your glasses while you are wearing them, but that does not necessarily mean something has happened to your memory.

You are simply asking a lot more of your mind now.

When does it pass?

If only someone could tell us “at six months and three days you will wake up and remember where you left everything again”.

Even though it does not work that way, there is encouraging evidence: attention control seems to improve significantly from the third trimester of pregnancy until four months after birth. And as we saw, at one year after birth another study found no objective differences in memory between new mothers and women who did not have children.

In real life, of course, the situation does not depend only on how many months have passed since the birth.

It also depends on whether you are sleeping. On whether the baby wakes up six times a night. On whether you have help. On how many things you are trying to hold in your head at once. On stress, your mood and generally on what your life is like during that period.

So for most women this intense sense of forgetfulness improves. Even though some changes in the brain remain for years, it does not mean you will be looking for your keys forever. The structural changes of motherhood and everyday forgetfulness are not the same thing.

Until then, what do we do?

You know, the usual: “sleep when you get the chance”, as if we did not know.

You do not have to prove every day that you can keep 47 things in your head at once. Put your keys and your phone in the same place. Write down whatever you do not need to remember. Set reminders. Keep the baby’s bag ready. Make life a little easier for tomorrow’s version of yourself.

A small note

Ordinary forgetfulness is very different from intense or sudden confusion, serious difficulty concentrating, or symptoms that significantly disrupt your everyday life. If something worries you, if you feel that the symptoms are severe or if they are accompanied by persistent anxiety or a very low mood, you may want to discuss it with your doctor.

Sources

Davies SJ et al. Cognitive impairment during pregnancy: a meta-analysis. Medical Journal of Australia, 2018.

Pritschet L et al. Neuroanatomical changes observed over the course of a human pregnancy. Nature Neuroscience, 2024.

Carmona S et al. Women’s neuroplasticity during gestation, childbirth and postpartum. Nature Neuroscience, 2024.

Hoekzema E et al. Pregnancy leads to long-lasting changes in human brain structure. Nature Neuroscience, 2017.

Orchard ER et al. Evidence of Subjective, But Not Objective, Cognitive Deficit in New Mothers at 1-Year Postpartum. Journal of Women’s Health, 2022.

Attention control in the peripartum period: a longitudinal study, 2024.

The post Since I Became a Mom, I FORGET Everything! appeared first on babywearing.gr.

I think many of us mums have thought about it at some point.

You have your baby in the carrier and you’re doing something completely mundane. Grocery shopping, hanging out the laundry, going to pick up your older child from school, taking the dog for a walk, tidying up the house.

And somewhere in the middle of all that, a thought crosses your mind: “Shouldn’t I be spending this time with the baby right now?”

But you’re already with them.

For a baby, being on you while you go about your daily life isn’t dead time. It’s their daily life too.

You don’t have to constantly organise something for the baby

With babies we’ve also picked up this anxiety that we have to keep offering them “stimulation” all the time.

Showing them toys, talking to them, doing activities, spending face-to-face time. All of that is lovely and necessary at certain moments.

But a baby takes in an enormous amount of information even without us having organised anything for them.

While you’re hanging out the laundry, they see your hands moving, they hear the clothespins, they feel your body turning and walking. At the supermarket they see people, they hear voices, trolleys, bags, tills. When you go to pick up their sibling from school, they see faces, children, people talking to one another.

We consider all of it boring, everyday routine. For a baby it’s brand new.

And you don’t need to narrate every step or turn the shopping into an educational activity. The baby is simply there, observing.

And they do it from a very safe spot

The world outside the womb is quite intense for a newborn. Lights, sounds, changes in temperature, people, movements, smells. All of it unfamiliar.

On you, in the middle of all that, there are things that are already very familiar.

Your smell, your voice, your breathing, the way you walk, the warmth of your body.

This is one of the reasons so many parents say their baby is much calmer when they wear them.

It’s not just a personal impression. In a well-known study of 99 mothers and babies, the parents in one group were encouraged to hold their babies more throughout the day, not only when they cried. At six weeks, the babies in that group cried and fussed significantly less than those in the other group.

Of course this doesn’t mean there’s some magic formula and that every baby in a carrier stops crying. Babies cry. But contact, movement and closeness with the parent often help them to regulate and to calm down.

A calm baby has more time to observe

And this is the part I find most interesting.

When a baby doesn’t need to spend all their energy protesting, they have more time to look around them.

From their spot in the carrier, they’re at the height of grown-up life. They see faces. They hear conversations. They watch your expressions when you talk to someone. They hear when you speak, when you pause, when the other person answers.

These things are far more interesting than they seem to us.

A baby doesn’t only learn when we sit across from them with a toy in hand. They also learn by listening to two people chatting in the supermarket queue.

They also learn what it’s like to live among people

When the baby is with you throughout the day, they see far more than objects and colours.

They see you talking to the neighbour. Smiling at someone. Answering your child. Greeting the cashier. They hear different voices and tones and, little by little, they begin to grasp how these small everyday interactions work.

Language, too, is everywhere around them without us needing to give them a “lesson”. In the conversations we have, in the questions, the answers, the laughter, the pauses.

And because they’re so close to us, they hear a great deal of this real, everyday communication.

Of course, they might just be sleeping

And good for them.

You may have gone to the supermarket, then to the Box Now locker, then picked up your child from school, and the baby may have seen none of it because they were sleeping on you.

That’s absolutely fine.

There’s no list of experiences they have to tick off by the end of the day.

When they need sleep, they sleep. When they wake up, they’ll go on seeing, hearing and getting to know the world.

You have to somehow get through your day too

This is something that sometimes gets lost when we talk about what “the baby needs”.

Yes, they need their person very much. Especially in the first months.

But their person also needs to eat, to get out of the house, to do the shopping, to take the other children somewhere, to run a load of laundry and, every now and then, to run the vacuum cleaner.

The carrier isn’t a tool for turning us into super-productive mothers who do twelve things at once.

It simply makes something very practical possible: not having to choose, every single time, between holding the baby and doing what needs to get done.

Sometimes they can happen together.

And often the baby is perfectly happy with that arrangement.

Obviously, we don’t do everything with the baby on us

This is where common sense comes in.

We don’t do chores that expose the baby to hot water, oil, fire, sharp objects or dangerous cleaning products. We don’t climb up onto anything while holding things, and we don’t do activities where there’s a serious risk of falling.

And it goes without saying that the baby must be correctly positioned in the carrier, with a clear airway and a position that stays safe as we move about.

Having our hands free doesn’t suddenly mean we can do anything at all.

Everyday life is life with the baby too

We don’t need to divide the day into time when we’re “with the baby” and time when we’re trying to do everything else.

The baby can be with us in both.

They can be on us while we walk, shop, tidy up, talk to people, go somewhere or simply move around the house.

For us, these are the most ordinary moments of the day.

For them, they’re the beginning of getting to know the world.

And in the beginning, the best way for them to get to know it is very close to us.

Research: In a randomized controlled trial of 99 mother–infant pairs, babies who received additional daily carrying cried and fussed significantly less, with the largest difference seen around six weeks of age.

Hunziker, U. A. & Barr, R. G. (1986). “Increased carrying reduces infant crying: a randomized controlled trial.” Pediatrics, 77(5), 641–648.

Research: In another experimental study, mothers given soft baby carriers showed greater responsiveness to their infants, and at 13 months significantly more infants in the carrier group were classified as securely attached than in the control group.

Anisfeld, E., Casper, V., Nozyce, M. & Cunningham, N. (1990). “Does Infant Carrying Promote Attachment? An Experimental Study of the Effects of Increased Physical Contact on the Development of Attachment.” Child Development, 61(5), 1617–1627.

The post Why it’s okay that I do my chores with my baby appeared first on babywearing.gr.

Sibling Jealousy After the Arrival of a New Baby: What’s Normal and How We Can Help

The arrival of a new baby is a huge change, not only for the parents but also for the older child.

Many parents worry when they notice their first child’s behavior changing after the baby is born.

“He keeps asking to be held all the time.”
“She has become much more whiny.”
“He tells me to put the baby down.”
“She had already given up her pacifier, and now she wants it again.”

The first thought is often:
“Are we doing something wrong?”

Usually, no.

Jealousy Is More Common Than We Think

Jealousy between siblings is not a sign of parenting failure.

To a large extent, it is a normal response to a major life change.

Until now, the older child had exclusive access to their parents, especially their mother. Suddenly, a new family member is demanding a huge portion of their parents’ time, energy, and attention.

That can create insecurity.

The Child Usually Isn’t Jealous of the Baby

This may sound strange, but it is very important.

Often, the older child is not actually jealous of the baby itself.

They are jealous of what the baby represents.

That may be:

• mom’s time
• dad’s attention
• the feeling of no longer being “the only one”

In other words, the message is often not:

“I don’t want the baby.”

The real message is:

“I’m afraid I’m losing you.”

And that changes the way we view the behavior.

Jealousy Doesn’t Always Look Like Aggression

When we hear the term sibling rivalry, we usually imagine hitting, pushing, or anger directed at the baby.

These behaviors can happen.

But much more often, jealousy shows up in subtler ways.

For example, the child may:

• ask for more cuddles
• insist that you feed them
• refuse to let you even go to the bathroom alone
• start talking like a baby
• ask for a pacifier or bottle again
• become more whiny or clingy

This does not mean the child is “regressing” in a negative way.

Often, it simply means they are looking for safety and reassurance.

Why Do We See Regression?

Many parents get worried when their older child suddenly starts acting younger.

But if we look at it from the child’s perspective, it makes sense.

The child sees that the baby:

• is constantly held
• nurses or feeds frequently
• falls asleep with help
• receives a lot of care

Their brain may come to the following conclusion:

“If being little gets so much attention, maybe I need to be little too.”

This is not manipulation.

It is a strategy for connection.

Does Age Matter?

Yes.

In general, the younger the first child is, the more challenging this transition may be.

A 2-year-old toddler has:

• limited emotional regulation
• a strong attachment need
• little understanding of time and waiting

By contrast, a 6- or 7-year-old usually has a better understanding of what is happening.

That doesn’t mean older children do not feel jealous.

They simply tend to express it differently.

Not All Children React the Same Way

This is important to remember.

Some children show jealousy from the very first week.

Others seem completely fine at first and struggle later.

Many parents say:

“Everything was perfect at the beginning. Then, once the baby started crawling and grabbing toys, things got difficult.”

That makes perfect sense.

As the baby becomes more present and interactive, the family dynamic changes again.

What Actually Helps?

The goal is not to eliminate every trace of jealousy.

The goal is to help the child feel safe.

Here are some things that can help:

1. Acknowledge the Emotion

Instead of saying:

“Don’t be jealous.”

Try something more validating:

“I can see that you miss me.”

2. One-on-One Time

Even 10 minutes of exclusive connection can make a big difference.

3. Physical Connection

Cuddles, touch, floor play.

The nervous system regulates through connection.

4. Practical Support in Everyday Life

This is where many families find babywearing especially helpful.

When the baby is close to you but your hands remain free, it becomes much easier to:

• hug the older child
• help with clothes or meals
• play together
• hold their hand

Sometimes small practical solutions significantly reduce daily stress.

A Little Jealousy Is Not Necessarily a Bad Sign

This may be the most important point.

Jealousy is an emotion.

And like all emotions, it carries information.

It often says:

• “I need you.”
• “I’m scared.”
• “I need reassurance.”

A child does not need perfect parents.

They need parents who can see beyond the behavior.

Because many times, behind the words:

“Put the baby down!”

there is a much more vulnerable message:

“Mom, I’m still your child too… right?”

The post Sibling Jealousy After the Arrival of a New Baby appeared first on babywearing.gr.

The following questions are from an interview with Stella Stamoulaki (babywearing consultant) in the «Galoucho» magazine of the La Leche League, published here.

Contents

• What should I look for when choosing a baby carrier?
• What do we mean by an «ergonomic carrier»?
• From what age can I «wear» my baby?
• Can I carry my baby facing outward in an ergonomic carrier?
• Up to what age can I carry my child?
• How long can I keep my baby in the carrier?
• Can a mother who had a C-section wear her baby?
• Are there cases where using a carrier helped with special breastfeeding situations (reflux, re-lactation)?

1

What should I look for when choosing a baby carrier?

The goal of a carrier is to make our life easier. For it to be practical and comfortable, we should choose it keeping a few key points in mind.

• It should adjust exactly the way I want. We often say: «The carrier must adjust to the baby. Not the baby to the carrier.» I should be able to place my baby a little higher or lower, a bit tighter or looser, with the head more in or more out. And I should be able to do this while I am wearing it, without taking it off.
• I should be able to put it on without help. If I needed help, I would just say «hold the baby while I get things done»! That is exactly why I want a carrier — so I don’t need help. It must be easy to put on and not take much time.
• It should suit me. Choosing a carrier is a very personal matter. What worked for my friend may not work for me. Some prefer tying, others prefer buckling.
• It should be high-quality and ergonomic. I need peace of mind that my baby is definitely safe, in the correct position. The materials must be safe, tested and suitable for babies.

2

What do we mean by an «ergonomic carrier»?

An ergonomic carrier lets the baby keep their natural posture, just as they would in our arms. In the correct posture, the baby has their knees apart (at about a 90° angle), their knees high (in small babies always higher than the bottom) and the lower back gently curved.

In an ergonomic carrier the baby does NOT hang from the crotch. We don’t want a straight back, closed knees, or legs stretched downward.

An easy way to recognise it: you can see two shapes — an M from the front and a J from the side.

Read more: What an ergonomic carrier means.

3

From what age can I «wear» my baby?

In theory, since a carrier is a hug, the answer is «from day one». With a wrap (woven or stretchy), a ring sling, or some mei tais, we can wear our baby from the very first day.

There are, however, carriers (usually with buckles) that are pre-adjusted, for which we must follow the manufacturer’s guidance on age/weight limits. Usually the restriction has to do with how far the carrier can be downsized.

4

Can I carry my baby facing outward in an ergonomic carrier?

Just like with car seats: with the right carrier and at the right age, yes. We can carry the baby facing outward if the carrier supports that position. When done correctly: the spine gently curved, the pelvis tilted forward, the legs supported from knee to knee.

Generally, though, there are several reasons why facing out is not recommended. There are much better positions for the baby to look around. With a good carrier the baby is not «closed in» — they can easily see and take part, even when facing inward.

Read more: Baby facing outward: not forbidden, but not recommended.

5

Up to what age can I carry my child?

The general answer is «as long as I can manage and as long as we both want to».

Again, it depends on the carrier and its specifications. Usually the limits set by the manufacturer are not about the carrier’s strength, but about the endurance of the person wearing it. When it says e.g. «up to 20 kg», it doesn’t mean the carrier will break at 21 kg — it means it’s not right for us to carry that much weight for a long time.

A child may want to be held even long after they start walking. Most ergonomic carriers support this. But in the end it depends on our own endurance.

Read more: Baby carrier — up to how many kilos?

6

How long can I keep my baby in the carrier?

In an ergonomic carrier the baby is in a perfect position. So for the baby there is no time limit. Consider that there are babies who wear a special orthopedic brace in exactly this position (and wear it all day long!).

The only limit is ours — our own stamina. In practice, we very rarely hold the baby in our arms for a long stretch without sitting down. We say «I hold them all day» — but in reality, holding them without sitting lasts five to ten minutes at a time.

With a good carrier we might «lose track»: it is so comfortable that we wear it continuously for much longer, doing other things at the same time, and the time flies. But only we know our own limits.

Read more: Carriers and back / neck strain.

7

Can a mother who had a C-section wear her baby?

Yes, of course. If she can hold her baby in her arms, she can just as well wear them in a good carrier. Besides, especially at a young age, the baby sits very high on our body — nowhere near the incision.

The only thing she should watch is her own stamina, just like every mother after birth.

8

Are there cases where using a carrier helped with special breastfeeding situations (reflux, re-lactation)?

Yes — but to put it precisely, what really helps is the hug itself. Holding our baby is what helps: us with our hormones, our baby, the connections in the brain, the baby’s development. A carrier makes the hug easier, and therefore more frequent.

It helps mothers overcome the postpartum «blues», supports the release of oxytocin (which is directly involved in the breastfeeding mechanism), helps with bonding with the baby, and reduces stress.

In nursing twins or tandem nursing (breastfeeding a baby and a toddler at the same time) the carrier is a lifesaver. It is important not to need ten pillows to hold the baby, e.g. upright to feed in cases of reflux. It is important to be able to easily hold the baby in the position that helps mastitis clear up.

And other cases too: nursing with nipple shields or with a supplemental nursing system — the carrier helps the mother keep her hands free.

Read also

• All frequently asked questions
• Which carrier should I choose?
• The advantages of baby carriers
• General usage guidelines

The post The 8 Most Common Questions Before Buying a Baby Carrier appeared first on babywearing.gr.

Babywearing—carrying your baby on you in an ergonomic soft carrier—has been gaining ground rapidly in recent years. More and more new parents are turning to babywearing and insist that “they couldn’t have managed without it”!

Let’s look at some of the main reasons why:

1. It’s practical!

You can go with your baby where strollers can’t go—up stairs, through narrow or rotating doors, into small elevators, across sand or grassy parks! Your hands are free to push the shopping cart, hold your dog’s leash, or guide your older child by the hand. It’s super easy to get in and out of your car without dragging out a heavy stroller from the trunk each time! Don’t you just love that kind of freedom?

Bonus benefit: It’s also budget-friendly! With a good carrier, you might not even need to buy a bassinet or stroller. They’re not necessarily mutually exclusive—many parents use both. But plenty of others never bought a stroller because they realized they didn’t need it!

2. You’ll communicate better with your baby!

In the carrier, your baby sees your face up close—your expressions, how your lips move when you speak, how your eyes change when you laugh. Through your reactions, your baby learns to smile, express relief or discomfort, and recognize what’s safe or risky in their environment. And you’ll notice every little movement—when they tense up, get annoyed, or fully relax.

Bonus benefit: babywearing makes breastfeeding incredibly easier!

3. It’s good for your baby!

Of course you want the best for your baby. Why not give them the best possible start to learn easily, be happy, and build healthy relationships as they grow? It’s been proven (e.g., in the Romanian orphanage studies) that children who were emotionally neglected (even when their physical needs were met) developed smaller brains than those raised with love and affection. The prefrontal cortex (the area responsible for social behavior and personality) was not equally developed[1]. Similarly, a baby’s brain is permanently affected by the constant presence of cortisol (the stress hormone).

Bonus benefit: babywearing helps premature or low birth weight babies gain weight faster!

4. It’s good for you!

Having your baby close to you is the best way to ease your worries, feel calmer, regulate your hormones and avoid—or recover more easily from—those “baby blues” that many new moms go through! And let’s not forget how good it is for you to walk, to get out of the house more easily, and to stop feeling stuck on the couch and dependent on others around you for help.

Bonus benefit: walking while gradually carrying more weight, perfectly distributed close to your body, is great exercise!

5. Peace and quiet!

You can’t bear the sound of your baby crying, right? Calm is something both you and your family really need during this time. Babies cry when we leave them. Separation from their parent causes strong protest—they cry and suffer. They ask for our attention in the only way they know how. Even if your baby isn’t hungry, cold, or hot, they’re telling you they need something else just as important: to feel safe, to not feel lonely or abandoned.

Bonus benefit: babywearing is the most valuable tool for soothing (and even preventing!) colic!

And one last point: Babywearing is in our nature!

Our babies need it! No, we’re not “spoiling” our babies, and no, they’re not being “manipulative” when they ask for our arms. It’s a basic need and a primal instinct. Don’t listen to those who say you’re “spoiling” the baby! For nine months, your baby learned to feel you, hear you, and have you whenever they needed you. They were born already knowing how to be held in your arms!

Read more about this in the article “Why holding our babies in our arms is natural.”

[1] Gerhardt S. Why Love Matters: How Affection Shapes a Baby’s Brain. Routledge: New York, 2004

The post 5+1 reasons to wear your baby appeared first on babywearing.gr.

There are species in nature (turtles, snakes, lizards, etc.) that lay their eggs and then abandon them. The babies hatch completely on their own. Very often, only a small number of them survive.

Other species (wolf pups, certain types of wild rabbits, etc.) stay alone in the nest all day while their parents are away hunting. As long as the mother wolf is away, the pups remain absolutely quiet in the nest. They make no sound, so they won’t be found and devoured by predators.

However, there are some species (like baby monkeys, gorillas, etc.) that never separate from their young. Unable to protect or survive on their own, these babies spend every minute of the day with their mother, often clinging to her. These babies need frequent breastfeeding and protection, often for several years after birth. And naturally, they cry out for their mother every time she leaves them – even briefly!

Our human babies clearly belong to the species that cannot manage without us. They need us for everything, which is why it’s not in their nature to lie quietly in their bed all alone. They feel the urge to remind us, in whatever way they can, that they are entirely dependent on us!

In our species’ evolution, a dilemma arose: A narrower pelvis is more efficient for upright walking, but a larger brain makes birth harder through this narrow passage. After nine months of pregnancy, the weight of a human baby compared to its mother is about twice that of other primates of similar size. The mother’s body doesn’t have the energy to support a longer pregnancy, so our babies are born at an earlier stage of development (their brains are only about 25–30% developed, compared to around 50% in other primates at birth).

This means our babies are born vulnerable and weak. It takes many months before they can even control their own body, and many years before they can meet their basic needs on their own.

It’s no coincidence that when we lift a newborn, it instinctively curls into a hugging posture: Its legs don’t dangle down but bend and open to “fit” as closely as possible to its mother’s body. The curved spine of infants supports this very posture.

At the same time, the mother’s anatomy evolved accordingly: the hips widen, the iliac bones spread outwards, the waist narrows, creating a unique shape not seen in other species – one that perfectly serves an amazing purpose: it facilitates carrying babies (and even older children) on the side, above the hip.

That may be why humans retain primitive reflexes: Even though the mother no longer has fur for the baby to grip onto, the grasp reflex persists – babies wrap their tiny fingers tightly, showing once again their need to “hold on” close to their mother. The same goes for the moro reflex (also called the “embrace reflex”), whose main purpose was to help the baby cling tightly to its mother if balance was lost.

Holding our baby close is in our nature – it’s what’s “normal” for our species. That’s why our babies expect and want to be held. They spent nine months in a fully protected environment, where all their needs were met instantly. They grew used to that warmth, to hearing their mother’s voice, to feeling her heartbeat and movements, to her rhythm of breathing.

It’s so important to extend these conditions as much as possible, which is why the first period after birth is often referred to as the “fourth trimester”.

A good baby carrier acts, in a way, like an external womb, easing the transition and supporting the baby’s continued development.

Holding your baby close is not just something we offer them, it’s not just valuable – it’s an absolute, fundamental, primal need. That’s how we are made. Denying our babies the touch and calm of being held is harmful in every way.

Hugs are magical: they stimulate the production of oxytocin (the love hormone), reduce pain, and affect cortisol (the stress hormone). The benefits of holding your baby go far beyond the moment – they shape how neurons in the brain develop and support long-term mental health.

You can read more about this here: Why wear your baby?.

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Are you looking for the perfect gift for your friend who’s expecting a baby or just gave birth? There are so many reasons to choose an Asteraki ergonomic baby carrier as a gift for a newborn!

1. It’s a gift that lasts!

Most Asteraki carriers are suitable from the newborn stage and can be used for many years – at least until the child is three years old. Any outfit or baby grow will last only a few months! Babies grow quickly, and you might pick the wrong season. But a baby carrier will be used daily, year-round, for years!

2. It’s a gift for the whole family!

The same carrier can be worn by both mom and dad. It helps give the newborn the precious closeness it needs – but also gives everyone in the family peace, comfort, and freedom! The older sibling doesn’t have to skip their playtime at the park or feel like the baby is taking their parents away. Just as importantly, a great baby carrier is also a thoughtful gift for the new dad, who rarely receives presents for the new baby!

3. It’s a gift that makes everyday life easier

With a good baby carrier, even a family with a newborn can do it all! The new mom can go for a walk, do the grocery shopping, or move around where strollers can’t go – knowing her baby is in the safest place in the world, with easy access for breastfeeding if needed! Welcoming a baby should bring joy, not limit your life. Even at home, the day-to-day chores become more manageable: a quick tidy-up, preparing meals, folding laundry – all that without having to leave the baby crying alone.
A family who receives a carrier as a gift will be thanking you every day!

4. It’s a gift with long-term benefits

Babywearing – the practice of carrying your baby in a soft ergonomic carrier – is a key part of attachment parenting. Many parents say that babywearing helped them connect more deeply with their child. “I would have been a different mom without babywearing,” say mothers whose children are now grown. These are children who grew up surrounded by love, who became more independent, more confident, and full of empathy. You can see more about why babywearing is the best gift you can give your baby (and yourself) here. And check out this article too: 5+1 reasons to wear your baby.

5. It’s a gift for every budget

You can find excellent ergonomic baby carriers at prices starting from just €45. You can even ship it directly to the family’s home, so they don’t have to go out or receive guests before they’re ready. Instead of spending that money on balloons and sweets, you can invest it in a gift that really makes a difference! If you like, you can choose the type of carrier together with the parents, or let them know they can use an exchange card. A good ergonomic baby carrier is also a popular choice for a group gift from friends or colleagues (for either parent)!

The post Why a Good Baby Carrier Is the Perfect Newborn Gift appeared first on babywearing.gr.

Yes, you can wear your baby even if you gave birth via C-section. In fact, babywearing can be a valuable tool during your recovery and daily life – if you choose the right carrier and follow a few important tips.

1. I’m still in pain. Can I wear my baby?

Yes, but with caution. If you feel comfortable holding your baby in your arms, then you can most likely wear them in a proper baby carrier. Most ergonomic carriers (like all those featured on this page) fasten high at the waist – well above your incision – and won’t put pressure on your lower belly.

If you’re still in pain or feel discomfort, it’s best to start with short sessions – and always listen to your body.

2. What kind of carrier is best after a C-section?

The ideal carrier for the first few weeks is one that:

• Does not touch your lower belly (no pressure or rubbing).
• Provides support to your back without feeling restrictive.
• Is easy to wear, without requiring strength or torso twisting.

Highly recommended: Ring sling, Mei tai, or wrap – they mold perfectly to your body and have no hard waistbands. The MiniMonkey carrier also has a very soft waistband.
Also suitable: All full-buckle arriers listed on this page, especially the Luna Dream with its soft waistband and the Ergobaby Embrace with its narrow waistbelt.
If you’re very petite: Keep in mind that some carriers like the Ergobaby Omni, Adapt, and KinderHop have more structured waistbands. But especially in the early days, you’ll be wearing the waistband high up, so it likely won’t reach your lower belly at all.

4. When can I start?

If you’re using a carrier that meets the proper guidelines, you can wear your baby from the first days. Some parents wear their babies in the hospital, others wait a week or two. The truth is there’s no strict rule – it depends on your recovery and how you feel.

Talk to your doctor, especially if recovery is taking longer or you have medical concerns.

Tip:

If you’re struggling or unsure when you first try it, feel free to reach out! We can help you find comfortable carrying positions and discuss any questions or concerns you may have.

❓ Gave birth via C-section and looking for the right carrier?

Book an appointment to try carriers in person – at the Asterakia showroom.

Or check out this guide to find out which carrier suits your needs.

The post Can I Wear My Baby After a C-Section? appeared first on babywearing.gr.

We often hear the advice: “Let the baby cry, they will learn to calm down on their own.”
The truth is that in the early months, babies do not have the maturity to handle big emotions by themselves. What they really need is our presence.

When we hold our baby, hug them, talk to them or rock them to help them settle, we are not “spoiling” them. We are showing them that they are safe, that someone is there to help. Through thousands of these small moments, the bond grows stronger and little by little they build the trust that will later allow them to find calm on their own.

If we leave them alone, they may stop crying after a while. But it will not be because they found a solution, nor because they “learned to cope.” It will be because they gave up on trying to be heard. Because they felt discouraged. What they actually learned is to give up and to feel that they do not deserve attention. Yet the stress inside them remains.

Just because the baby stopped crying does not mean they learned how to calm down on their own!

The path toward independence goes through our arms. Through our presence, not through our absence.

The post "Let the baby cry it out" appeared first on babywearing.gr.

Now that you’re a new mom, you might feel stressed that you don’t have time to work out (well, you don’t have time for anything, really — but let’s stick to exercise for now).
Maybe we’ve got the wrong idea of what actually counts as exercise?

For thousands of years, back in the hunter-gatherer societies, women were mainly responsible for gathering food, while men went hunting. Hunting was essentially aerobic exercise — cardio. Gathering, on the other hand, was closer to strength training: lifting, carrying loads, repetition.

Today, we tend to do the opposite: men mostly focus on weight training, and women on cardio.
And yet, in our ancestral societies, mothers would walk up to 7 kilometers a day, carrying weight — both the baby and the food they had collected.

You might think that “exercise” means having someone watch your baby so that you can go out and do cardio. And of course, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to go for a run on your own! But keep in mind that carrying your baby* is actually one of the best forms of physical activity for your body. It definitely counts as exercise!
Especially for us women (our bodies are literally built for carrying, it’s part of our evolution), resistance exercise is incredibly important for our health. It helps prevent osteoporosis, which affects us much more than men.

So next time you get the chance, leave the stroller aside for a bit, put on your sneakers, wear your baby in the carrier, and go for a brisk walk.

*in a proper baby carrier that distributes weight evenly, and as long as you maintain good posture, without leaning, or slouching.

based on a post by Elena Bridgers

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Babywearing offers an incredible sense of freedom — especially for new moms.
If you do it safely, you’ll share many magical moments with your baby.
Enjoy that freedom gradually and learn to tune in to your baby at every moment, even when they’re in the carrier (which means — in your arms).

See more breastfeeding-in-a-carrier photos and videos here: Breastfeeding in a Baby Carrier

Written by Stella Stamoulaki, Babywearing Consultant, originally published in 2017.

The post Can I Breastfeed and Get Things Done? appeared first on babywearing.gr.

Most babies love back carries – it gives them the chance to look around (and especially to see what mom is doing)! Many babies also love having their arms out, enjoying the freedom of movement this position allows. And for most babies, back carries are the perfect opportunity for a nap…

A common question is what to do when the baby falls asleep in this position and their head starts tilting backward. A few days ago, I had the perfect chance to “capture” the answer!

So, Iliana and I were answering emails. Until one of us got bored and decided to take a nap (guess who?).

Unfortunately, Morpheus’ embrace isn’t quite as comfy as mom’s! Since her arms were out, her head ended up tilting back. That’s something we need to fix!

The solution is to gently tuck the baby’s arms back inside the mei tai, so their head is supported. You can see exactly how in the video below:

Hope it helped!
(If I get lucky again with timing, I’ll try to make a similar video using a wrap.)

Note: The angle at which the mei tai’s shoulder straps are sewn plays a big role. It needs to be carefully designed: if the angle is too small, the baby can’t comfortably get their arms out; if it’s too large, the carrier may slip from the wearer’s shoulders and feel insecure. The angle also affects whether you can easily transition from arms-out to arms-in, as seen in the video.

Take care and happy babywearing!

This article was originally written on March 3, 2011 and is republished here from the babywearing blog.

The post How to Support Baby’s Head When back-carrying? appeared first on babywearing.gr.

Real stories from the babywearing group:

“I can’t hold the baby anymore”

“This is not what I had imagined”

“I picked the wrong one—everyone I know recommended it”

The post Baby Crying in the Carrier? Your Feelings Might Be the Key appeared first on babywearing.gr.

Why is my baby crying in the carrier?

Your baby, when worn in an Asteraki carrier, is in the best possible position.

If the positioning is correct, a baby in an Asteraki will cry for only two reasons:

• Either they would be crying anyway (e.g., sleepy, hungry, need a diaper change),
• or YOU are not feeling like your usual self — and your baby senses it.

So let’s start with the assumption that the baby is otherwise calm: not hungry, not sleepy, not needing a change, and would be calm if held in your arms. Then:

If someone says, “My baby doesn’t seem happy in the carrier,” we want to check three things:

A. How you’re wearing it.
B. What you’re doing while wearing it.
C. How you feel while wearing it.

How are you wearing it?

For all Asteraki carriers, there are video instructions — message us to receive them (many are unlisted and not public — the only way to access them is if we send you links to them).

Start by checking the basics:
– Is your baby positioned properly?
– Is the carrier adjusted for your baby’s age and weight?
– Are you wearing it too low, or too far from your body?
– Is your baby’s head covered or buried too deeply?
– Are you still using newborn settings even though your baby can support their head? If they can hold their head up but can’t see out, they might get frustrated.

Most adjustments are very simple — we’re here to help!

What do you do while wearing it?

No mom anywhere in the world picks up her baby and stays completely still for more than 10 minutes. And no mom stands in front of a mirror holding her baby, wondering if the head is right, or the legs are OK. So don’t do that with the carrier either.

Parents tell me in sessions:

– We go for walks — the Asteraki is perfect. We go to the pediatrician — he says the baby’s position looks great. I do chores at home — everything’s fine. I have just one complaint.

– Tell me, what’s the complaint?

– Well, when I sit at the computer to write while wearing the baby, they fuss.

– And what happens when you sit with the baby in your arms?

– Oh, don’t even ask. This baby never lets me sit! They want me not only standing — they want me walking.

– So they’re not crying because they’re in the carrier. They’re crying because you’re sitting!

You could sit while babywearing — if your baby tolerates sitting at all!

The baby in the Asteraki is in your arms. Do what you would do if they were in your arms. If they usually take a pacifier, give them one while worn. If they usually want you walking, they’ll want the same thing in the carrier. Same baby, same position — but with free hands and more comfort for you.

How do YOU feel when wearing the carrier?

How *you* feel matters a lot. If you wear your baby with a bit of nervousness (understandable, since you’re trying something new), or if you’re unsure — wondering whether your baby likes it — your heartbeat is a bit faster, and your baby can feel it. If you’re not calm, your baby thinks: “If mom’s not relaxed, something must be wrong.”

It’s crucial that you feel relaxed when wearing your baby. In these close-carrying positions, your baby hears your hea

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