If you put your finger in the palm of a new baby's hand, he will grasp it tightly. Although, unlike our early ancestors from whom this reflex is inherited, babies no longer need to be able to cling on to the hair on their mothers' bodies, they still have a strong need to be carried -something that we in our modern western society of buggies, car seats and bouncy chairs sometimes forget.
Babies are often at their most content when they're being held. Carrying your baby provides him with warmth and security, as well as giving him the reassurance of hearing the familiar sound of your heartbeat and feeling your familiar movements. It also allows him to be involved in what you're doing - even though it generally makes it more difficult to do it.
Some babies are only content when they're being held. They cry until they're picked up, and they cry again if they're put down. Swaddling them will sometimes fool them into thinking they're being held, but more often than not only physical contact will do. Parents develop their own strategies for handling a baby like this.
Many choose to do what parents have done for centuries the world over, and get a sling, so that they can give their baby the comfort of being carried while keeping their hands free to do other things.
Carrying your baby for what can seem like hours on end can undoubtedly be tiring. But if it makes your baby more content and relaxed, you're likely to feel content .and relaxed too; and at least you'll be using your energy in a positive way.
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