Carrying a towel, sitting in a cart and lying flat, which is beneficial to the baby's all-round development?

Author of "New Knowledge of Mommy Parenting"

There is a concept that it is best for a baby to lie in bed regularly, which is most conducive to his development; If you have to go out, the stroller that looks like a bed is the first choice. Some people think that as long as the baby is quiet and easy to fall asleep, it is best to be pushed around in the cart or lie in bed. So, is this the most conducive to the all-round development of the baby? Let's help parents compare it from two aspects: physiology and cognition.

The basic difference between a bed/cart and a backpack: lying flat and vertical.

A crib is similar to a stroller, in which babies usually lie flat. Because the cart needs to be taken out, the car body is far less thick and comfortable than the mattress; But the back of the cart can often stand up, which can give the baby a different posture and perspective. With the baby's development, beds and carts can provide him with limited posture choices. Similar to a stroller, there is a baby car seat, in which the baby can maintain a certain vertical posture, but generally speaking, the baby is wrapped and tied inside, and the limitations of posture and perspective are quite large.

The structure of the back towel is essentially different from that of the bed and cart. It wraps the baby inside, just like being held in the arms by parents, and the baby's posture is often vertical. With the baby's growth, the use of the scarf can also be constantly adjusted to find the most suitable way for the baby's development stage at that time.

Stress caused by lying flat: spine and hip joint

When we talk about the influence of posture on baby's development, we should first look at the process of natural development. Let's talk about the development of the spine first. A person's spine is not vertical. The newborn baby's spine is C-shaped, which is suitable for him to curl up in his mother's body. Later, as the baby grows up, he will gradually develop three bends: the neck (about 3 months), the chest (about 8 months) and the waist (about 1 year) to adapt to his functional development of raising his head, sitting and walking upright.

The natural development of the hip joint also requires that the baby's legs can be opened and bent upward. If parents pay attention to the posture of the newborn, you will find that when you pick him up, he will naturally open his legs and bend his knees upwards, which is beneficial to the development of his hip joint. Therefore, whether focusing on the development of the spine or hip joint, it is best for the baby's posture in the process of growth to adapt to his natural posture in order to achieve maximum development.

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When a baby lies flat on the bed or cart for a long time, gravity will turn his C-shaped spine into a straight line, which is just the opposite of his natural shape. The study supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics shows that "lying on a hard mattress or flat bed (such as a stroller) for a long time, the continuous action of gravity will straighten the body on the side that contacts the bed surface, thus causing posture-induced developmental disorders and muscle weakness." Therefore, lying flat for a long time may lead to flat head syndrome (a skull deformity with flat back or side) and muscle weakness. In addition, lying flat will not only put pressure on the spine, but also have a negative impact on the development of the baby's hip joint. Because of this, some studies believe that keeping the baby's spine straight is not the best physiological posture.

Vertical posture in scarf: spine and hip joint

In the scarf, the baby will naturally bend over to his parents, and his back will show a curvature that conforms to his C-shaped spine; As the baby grows up, when he can straighten his neck, waist and other parts, it conforms to the emergence and development of the three physiological bends of the spine. Not only that, the backpack keeps the baby's body vertical. At this time, gravity acts on it in the same direction as the spine, which will also promote the development of the spine and body posture, because gravity will * * * the baby's spine, peripheral muscle groups and corresponding nervous system, and these organs and tissues will continue to develop in order to resist gravity.

Car seat problem: Some people may think of car seats. In the seat, the baby's body will stand up to a certain extent, and their back will show a natural C-shape. However, the problem with car seats is that babies don't need defying gravity, which will keep their spine in a C-shape without any effort. In fact, this will hinder the natural bending of the spine. If babies don't have a chance to feel gravity, it will be difficult for them to develop strong enough muscles to raise their heads. In addition, according to the research of the World Children's Chiropractic Association, when the car seat is not used in the car (for example, when it is taken down and used as a cart), it is not an ideal baby carrier, because the baby is inside, "posture will be subject to many restrictions, which will affect the development of his skull and spine. 」

Proper use of the back towel also provides a good space for the development of the baby's hip joint, because at this time, the baby's legs will be separated and the knees will bend upward, higher than the bottom of the hip. The back towel will support the baby's hips and legs to the greatest extent, which conforms to the natural state of hip joint development and also disperses the possible pressure of gravity on the spine.

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Relationship between lying flat and developmental retardation

In recent five or six years, more than one research article has been published in academic journals that develop science, accumulating more and more data for academic circles. These data show that infants who lie on their backs for a long time have a higher probability of stunting, and among these stunting, the most prominent is the development of cognitive ability and motor system.

Of course, scientists also admit that we need more research and data to clarify the causal relationship between the two. However, it is generally believed that lying on the bed and cart for a long time restricts the baby's posture too much, and provides too little * * * for the baby's development, which is likely to increase the risk factor of stunting. Contrary to lying flat, the baby's senses will get a lot of synthesis and promote his development. Let's make a concrete comparison.

Width of viewing angle:

On 20 15, an Ecuadorian photographer (Diego Acosta López) put the camera on his nearly two-year-old son's cart. When he was pushing his son along the street in new york, the camera also recorded the world that the two-year-old child saw lying on the trolley. From the photos, the world is similar to what we see, but it is so different, because it is not only bottom-up, but also has a very small vision.

This is also a problem with strollers or car seats. The baby is inside, with limited mobility and limited world you can see. This is especially true for babies lying in bed. He can only see the ceiling above the bed or some baby toys hanging there. If he stays in this position for a long time, the baby's brain is very limited.

The baby in the scarf is different. Babies standing upright on their parents can see the world safely and unimpeded and learn everything around them. Even if the baby is carried on his back and faces inward, he can see the world against his parents' chest; Even at home, parents do things behind their baby's back, and the baby doesn't have to stare at the ceiling above the bedside. In addition, in the backpack, the baby's height is near the parents' chest, so what you see is not from bottom to top, and your vision is relatively unaffected. This constant contact with the external environment is very precious to the baby's brain, because through these * * *, the baby's brain will be in a very vigorous development state.

Sense of balance:

The baby lies flat on the bed/cart, and the vestibular system rarely receives the sense of gravity from all directions, so it is difficult for him to develop a sense of balance. Carrying a towel, when parents walk and do things, every pause and turn will have an impact on the baby. He must constantly adapt to these changes and strive to resist the influence of forces from all directions, so his vestibular system and even the whole sensory integration system will become active and flourish.

The distance between a baby and his parents.

Whether it is a crib, a car seat or a stroller, there is always a certain distance between the baby and his parents. Parents may see the baby as soon as they bow their heads, but the baby can't see his parents at any time, let alone feel his parents' body and breathing at any time, which easily makes them feel uneasy, because physically, the baby needs to keep close contact with his parents.

In the scarf, the baby's body leans against his parents, and the distance between him and his parents is the distance that parents can kiss as soon as they bow their heads. In this way, the baby can see his parents at any time and feel dependent at any time. Parents are actually using their own bodies to protect all the baby's sensory receptors and important organs. And if the scarf is used correctly, the baby's legs will bend, his knees will be flat, and you will support his hips. This is just the posture that the baby will instinctively take, so he will feel comfortable, warm and safe.

Besides, everything we do is actually rhythmic. Whether walking, working in the garden or cooking, parents have their own rhythm. When the baby does these things with his parents in the backpack, he will adapt to the rhythm of his parents, which has become a connection and bond between parents and children.

Don't always put the baby in the container.

The bed, cart and car seat are all semi-closed environments, and the baby is inside, just like being locked in a container. Not only is his posture and visual angle limited, but what he sees, touches and smells are all kinds of synthetic materials. In the scarf, he will touch, smell, see and feel the smell of his parents and his heartbeat.

Dr Sharon Heller said in her book Critical Contact: "Our bodies are rich in all kinds of senses. Smile, fragrance and laughter are intertwined, and with the ups and downs of touch, the whole sensory world appears at our fingertips. When we touch the baby's skin, the baby can get touch and skin, and the pressure of his limbs is transmitted to our body through proprioception.

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Through breast milk, babies get touch, smell and taste; When we move and hold it vertically, he needs to try to keep the position and balance of his head so that he can get the vestibular system. When he looked around, he saw it. He can hear us when we whisper in his ear. When we changed his direction, he got a dynamic. 」

This is a subtle and extremely rich level of interaction that parents can achieve with their baby by using backpacks, and when the baby stays in the container, especially when we can't be seen, all this disappears. Parents ask themselves, do you really trust containers more?

Babynews authorized to reprint the original source. Should I hold the baby, push the cart or lie flat?