Baby: Carrying and being carried

Urinstinct

A baby likes to be carried. Carrying offers security, can stimulate growth and is actually not so bad! Would you like to know why not?

A baby is born with a primal instinct. We all had this primal instinct and learned to ignore it a little. Not so the baby. In prehistoric times, a baby that was alone was the prey of predators.

A single baby can feel “denied” and defenceless as a result. He does not know that he is safe in our neighbourhood if mum and dad are not in sight for a while. This feeling of safety is a basic need. A baby will therefore do everything to fulfil this basic need. Especially when he is falling asleep, it is important that he feels safe and secure.

Besides, people used to be hunters and had to carry their babies. Like apes, there was a time when humans were hairy and babies clung to their caregivers. They naturally adopt the M-position (knees raised like a frog). A baby, for example, sits very well on the mother’s hip. The mother could move freely, the baby clung on with hands and knees and could explore the world.

Knowing this, it actually makes a lot of sense that a baby is carried a lot from day one and the hip is the ideal place.

Species of mammals

Group 1: The fugitive (horses, cows, …)

These mammals are on their feet immediately after birth and follow their parents into the world. Everything is designed for this: They are developed differently from human babies, their mother’s milk is composed differently and they live differently.

A newborn animal that does not get up immediately is prey and has little chance of survival.

Group 2: The hiders (cats, rabbits, …)

These animals make a nest. As soon as the babies are born and the mother goes to eat, the little ones instinctively know that they cannot make a noise that the mother is gone.

If they make noise when their mother is not yet back, they are always prey.

Group 3: The carriers (monkeys, kangaroos,…)

At some point, people realised that humans belong to this group. The babies that are born are not yet fully developed and therefore cannot survive on their own. They cling to their parents to be carried, to stimulate brain growth. When a baby is alone, it feels threatened and makes noise. As a result, it has little chance of survival.