Q: "Hello from Belgium,
We have a moby wrap, as you can see. My daughter sleeps in there for hours. She's snoring away right now. But I worry about the snoring. Her chin often seems to be resting on her chest. She's only 7 weeks old. Is she too young for a wrap? Is she going to come out of this experience permanently bent? Airway stunted?
Out of the wrap, she loves to sit with our assistance and she loves to bear weight on her legs. I read that wearing her this way isn't good after she can walk. She's months away from that, unless she becomes a tiny tyrannosaurus rex (with no upper arm strength, unlikely!) but is keeping her in the wrap with her legs bent a problem?"

It's so nice to see a family enjoying their baby. Especially the dad since dads so often allow themselves to miss out on this precious time.

Wraps are used with teeny tiny premature babies, babies on respirators who are being fed by tubes, babies who weigh less than 3 pounds. This is called Kangaroo Care and is a therapy used in Newborn Intensive Care Units. It helps these tiny babies THRIVE. Rest assured, your seven-week-old baby, Kaia, is not too young for a wrap.

You may wish, however, to try a different position. Perhaps you could turn her body so that her belly and chest are touching the belly and chest of the parent, and the wrap is supporting her back, her neck and her head. This would prevent her chin from resting on her chest.

Let me address your concern that babywearing will permanently harm Kaia. There are two types of mammalian parenting behavior. Cache and carry. Foxes are a cache species; the mother fox has super high fat milk, nurses her babies and fills them up with calories, then leaves them in the den all day while she hunts. Humans are a carry species. Our babies are made to be carried. Anthropologists report babywearing in cultures around the world and throughout history. There is an excellent series on the Discovery channel right now -- Going Tribal -- in which an anthropologist visits tribes around the globe and lives with them for a month. Watch that show for a few episodes and see how people lived before baby gadget super stores. Until the very recent invention of cribs, strollers, swings and the myriad other don't-spoil-the-baby gadgets, parents carried their babies from the time they woke in the morning until the time they went to bed at night.

You may hear that babies need "tummy time". This is a recent invention as well, since throughout history there was rarely a safe clean place to lay a baby down alone. Tummy time is necessary only as a break from the baby gadgets that prevent proper development. Babywearing counts as tummy time because as you wear your baby, and you move aronud, she constantly shifts her own weight to maintain her balance. This promotes the development of her motor skills and improves her balance. If anyone bothers you aboot wearing Kaia too often, just tell them that. You can even tell them "the doctor said so". You don't have to tell them that "the doctor" is not actually YOUR doctor, but is Dr. Maria Blois, MD, a physician, mother of two, La Leche League Leader, and the author of the book "Babywearing - The Benefits and Beauty of This Ancient Tradition". Well, unless you are actually talking TO your doctor, in which case you might want to bring along a copy of the book, since it contains excellent references to the relevant medical research.

Now for your concern about keeping Kaia in the wrap with her legs bent. When her legs grow longer she will prefer a different position. She will let you know, one day, by complaining when you try to do it the old way. You'll progress naturally from having her legs folded (until perhaps 3-5 months), to having her legs around your waist (until she is too tall for this), to having her legs dangle straight down (the toddler / preschooler years). As long as your pay attention to her cues, you'll be fine.

I hope that you will continue to use the valuable tool of babywearing for nurturing Kaia as she gorws into a toddler and even a preschooler. The important thing is to remember to pay attention to Kaia's changing needs. When she wants to walk, let her walk. She will eventually get tired and want to cuddle or nurse. The older she gets, the less often this will happen, and you will eventually find the wrap gathering dust. But I believe that is likely to be several years in the future. In the meantime, I advise that you both cuddle and snuggle and wear her just as much as she will let you. Babyhood goes by fast!

Enjoy your baby!

Tracy Dower