Is babywearing a modern parenting trend or an evolutionary necessity? While today’s colorful wraps and structured carriers look new, they represent a practice as old as the human species itself.
Unlike other mammals that can walk at birth or be left safely in a den, human infants are “occupational carriers.” We are born neurologically “under-baked,” requiring what anthropologists call a Fourth Trimester of external gestation.
The Anthropology of Touch
In my years of correspondence with the late, legendary anthropologist Dr. Ashley Montagu, we discussed how the human infant’s “natural habitat” is the caregiver’s body. Montagu, who kindly provided the blurb for my book Dancing with Your Baby, championed the idea that movement and skin-to-skin contact are biological requirements for healthy development. He noted:
“[Kinergetics] will prove of great value to mothers, and we hope fathers, too.” — Dr. Ashley Montagu, anthropologist and social biologist
The “Transport Response”
Modern science now confirms what ancient cultural wisdom has always known. Research shows that infants under six months of age stop crying and decrease their heart rate almost immediately when carried by a walking mother, compared to being held by a sitting mother.
As researcher Kumi Kuroda suggests, this “calming response” is a natural consequence of the infant’s sensorimotor system. It isn’t a “tactic” to control the parent; it is a biological signal that the baby feels safe and secure while in motion.
Why Movement Matters
Babywearing and rhythmic movement (like dancing) provide the deep sensory input a developing brain craves:
- Vestibular Integration: The gentle swaying aids the baby’s inner ear and sense of balance.
- Physiological Regulation: Closeness helps the infant stabilize their own temperature and breathing.
- Social-Emotional Growth: Physical proximity fosters the “social-first” perspective, helping infants learn to track gazes and engage with the world.
Whether you are looking to ease postnatal depression or simply need your hands free, babywearing bridges the gap between our ancient biological needs and our modern lifestyle. It turns out that the most “high-tech” piece of parenting equipment you can own is actually one of the oldest.
Sue Doherty, M.A., is an anthropologist, mindfulness teacher (certified through the Greater Good Science Center, U.C. Berkeley), and a pioneer in infant developmental movement. She is the author of Dancing With Your Baby, a work famously endorsed by Dr. Ashley Montagu for its “great value to mothers and fathers.” Sue specializes in the intersection of sensorimotor integration and social-emotional wellbeing.
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