History of babywearing through the ages: a universal bond between parent and child

For millennia, parents around the world have been carrying their children. Moving while maintaining contact with your child, whether by choice or necessity, is universal. Babywearing transcends cultures and eras .

In a modern world where the pace of our lives is accelerating, babywearing is making a comeback. A fad? Not just that.

It's true, babywearing is attracting more and more parents thanks to ergonomic, practical and aesthetic accessories that allow them to enjoy moments of closeness with their baby. But babywearing is a universal practice that has many benefits. Our little finger tells us that this trend is not ready to pass...

From Prehistory to the Middle Ages: the origins of carrying

Carrying has its origins in the dawn of humanity and the first bipeds (although some forms of it can already be seen in the animal world).

Mothers - or sometimes other members of the same tribe - then carry the newborns out of necessity above all: up high, the fragile babies escape the cold and possible predators .

Carrying your child also allowed you to travel long distances , at a time when strollers and prams did not exist... Toddlers were carried in the arms or on the back, sometimes against an animal skin so that the child could hold on to it and stay warm.

Each culture has its own carrying method

In different parts of the world, babywearing takes various forms. In Africa, mothers often use a simple loincloth that they tie around their body to carry their child against them, often on their back.

In South America, peoples such as the Mayans or the Quechuas have developed unique carrying methods. The rebozo , a traditional sling, is used to carry the child against the chest or on the back.

In Asia, particularly in China and Japan, methods such as the mei-tai , a strap-on baby carrier, or woven slings , have been passed down from generation to generation.

Each culture adapts babywearing to its specific needs, its environment and the means at its disposal. Babywearing also had a strong symbolic dimension. In many cultures, babywearing is a marker of cultural and community belonging . The fabrics used, the knotting techniques, and even the way the child was carried (on the back, on the stomach, on the hip) are specific to each ethnic group or region. This unique know-how reinforces the feeling of identity and cultural continuity , and is passed down from generation to generation.

Carrying is thus much more than just a functional tool: it embodies a way of life, a parenting philosophy and a deep connection with the community .

Fabric: The first baby carriers come to life

With the appearance of the first fabrics, we see the precursors of baby carriers appear. They differ according to cultures and periods of history but all respond to the same need: to allow the wearer to have their hands free and to move easily while keeping the baby safe .

The fabric makes it easier for adults and keeps the baby warm.

In the Middle Ages, babywearing was still widely practiced, especially to be able to work without leaving the baby unattended. At the time, it was still the only way to move around with the baby to go to the market, to town, or even on a pilgrimage.

And yes, strollers did not appear until 1733 ! At that time, fabric or wooden baby carriers were used, secured with straps to keep hands free (at least free enough to carry the harvest or some shopping).

17th and 18th centuries: carrying by wet nurses

Little by little, around the Renaissance, wet nurses appeared in Western society, particularly in France. Wealthy families hired servants to live with them to raise their children, and less well-off families dropped their children off at the wet nurse's for the day.

This is a major turning point for babywearing, where we see a real separation between children and their mothers. This separation is also accentuated by the invention of the first cradles which dislodge children from their parents' bed.

At that time, young children spent most of their time with their wet nurse and were even breastfed by her most of the time! In 1780, it is estimated that only 1,000 children out of the 21,000 born in Paris were breastfed by their mother (see this article ). Because yes, the work of a nurse was practiced by women who had themselves just given birth and who were therefore able to breastfeed other people's children.

At this time, babywearing was still fashionable, but was more often the work of wet nurses than parents, which reduced some of the benefits of this practice.

The nanny: a miracle solution? Not so sure...

Quite quickly, the use of wet nurses was strongly criticized by some of the great authors of the time (notably Guy de Maupassant, Honoré de Balzac and Emile Zola). And for good reason, there was a sharp increase in infant mortality among children placed with a wet nurse .

This can be explained by the treatment the children received when they were transported to nurseries and boarding schools outside the city (they were often subjected to cold and hunger, crammed into carts or trains), by the diet (due to a lack of breast milk, wet nurses chose to feed them with animal milk or porridge unsuitable for newborns), or by poor hygiene conditions and too few visits to the doctor.

But then why this craze for nannies?

Whether contested or not, the widespread use of wet nurses has been going on for more than two centuries, and even today - although, fortunately, conditions have changed.

For wealthy families, it was generally a sign of wealth . For the more modest, it was a question of having the child looked after so that they could work and feed their family... and procreate. Let us remember that at this period in history, the woman was excused from her marital duty as long as she breastfed. But in the absence of the child, the couple could - had to - resume their activities. We imagine that this suited some husbands...

19th century: autonomy praised to the skies

Then came the 19th century and its new thinking: mothers were now encouraged to let their children grow up independently , arguing that it was better for their development.

Psychoanalysis influences parents by suggesting that too much physical proximity could hinder the child's autonomous development. It is recommended to teach the child to detach himself from his parents in order to gain independence.

Increasingly, babywearing is seen as an outdated practice. It is the time of the industrial revolution during which women are called upon to work en masse . Having little time to devote to their home, they then choose to entrust their children to wet nurses most of the time.

Furthermore, the question of breastfeeding and the problems it could cause no longer arises thanks to the invention of the first infant formula in 1848 .

The choice of practicality and efficiency

However, a new obstacle is emerging in the face of the regular practice of babywearing: the democratization of the pram and the stroller . With them, there is no longer any need to carry children during various trips. This is a new blow to the closeness between mother and child.

In large, expanding metropolises, the pace of life is accelerating, living spaces are shrinking, and the idea of ​​"freeing" the parent is becoming popular: practicality is taking over .

With these modern means of transport, portering is becoming increasingly rare and even synonymous with great poverty. Only members of the lowest classes of society still practice it regularly out of necessity, due to lack of money.

20th century: the beginning of scientific research into child well-being

The developments - and revolutions - continue and studies are conducted by many scientists. In the early 1900s, some studies still talk about separating babies from their mothers, the independence of the infant is recommended .

Doctors advise and contradict each other, nothing is really definitive. It is also the rise of childcare products : high chairs, sleeping bags and other strollers, lighter and more practical than their ancestors, appear and revolutionize the market.

It was not until the 1970s that scientific research really began to focus on child development and the causes of high infant mortality rates - but, above all, to find real solutions.

Kangaroo care: the beginnings of skin-to-skin care

The first method adopted and recommended by doctors was the famous “ kangaroo method ” that was born in 1978 in Bogota, Colombia. Overwhelmed by the lack of incubators available for premature or very small newborns, doctors Edgar Rey Sanabria and Martinez placed the children on their mothers’ bare chests and covered them with a blanket. Mothers were even advised to carry their newborns in a sort of belly pouch that served as a natural incubator.

Studies show that proximity has a real impact on the infant mortality rate: it decreases, as do the infection rate and the length of hospitalization! It is also noted that children who have used the kangaroo method have better respiratory stability , better temperature regulation and even better sleep . This method is quickly used in other hospitals and spreads beyond South America, improving the living conditions of newborns.

During this same period, in Germany, Erika Hoffman created the modern baby sling , inspired by Mexican methods of carrying her twin girls. Thanks to new research on the subject, baby sling is experiencing a resurgence in popularity and is gradually becoming more widespread throughout Europe.

Researchers on the subject understand that the upright and M-shaped position is physiological . It is safer for the baby's development, both physically and cognitively.

It is in this dynamic that physiological baby carriers as we know them appear.

21st century: a renewed interest in babywearing

Since the 1970s, babywearing has experienced a real revival in the West, driven by the proximal parenting movement . This movement advocated a return to natural and instinctive parenting practices , emphasizing the importance of physical contact, prolonged breastfeeding and proximity to the child.

More and more parents are looking to reconnect with ancestral methods of baby care to recreate a more intimate bond, away from screens.

Scientific research on attachment and brain development has shown that regular physical contact between parent and child promotes the child's emotional and neurological development . Closeness to the parent helps regulate stress, improves sleep, and plays a key role in building neural circuits related to security and trust .

New carrying methods: a growing market

Once again, the models and methods of carrying have multiplied in Europe: slings to tie, ring slings , onbuhimo baby carriers or headbands , skin to skin ... Carrying adapts to all ages and all needs!

It's not just mothers who are attracted to it. Fathers are also getting into babywearing, as are other members of the family, including the youngest ones, thanks to baby carriers.