Why Carrying Matters: How Babywearing Fulfills a Biological Need

It's not said often enough, but it's deeply true:

Babies are meant to be carried.

Human babies are born expecting to be held close. They’ve spent nine months in constant motion, surrounded by warmth, heartbeat, and breath. And after birth, their development continues to depend on that same contact.

Anthropologists call us “carry mammals”—like primates—because our babies arrive neurologically immature and completely dependent on touch, movement, and coregulation to grow and thrive (Small, 1998; Konner, 2005).

This doesn’t mean we have to carry our babies every minute of the day. But it does mean that when we carry them often—on our bodies, in our arms, or in a well-fitted carrier—we’re meeting a deep biological need.

So no—babywearing isn’t just about convenience.
And it’s not just about getting things done.
It’s about giving your baby what they’re wired to expect.
Babywearing just makes it sustainable.

Babywearing is convenient, yes—but it’s also developmental.

Of course babywearing is helpful when you need both hands to stir a pot or help your toddler with a snack. But if that’s the only time we reach for the carrier, we’re missing out on the real magic—because carrying our babies regularly offers powerful, long-term benefits.

And they’re not just “nice to have” benefits. These are foundational supports for physical, emotional, and cognitive development.

Let’s break it down:

Why being carried matters so much for babies

1. Regulation & Stress Resilience
When babies are carried, their heart rate, breathing, body temperature, and stress hormones stabilize. This kind of nervous system support is especially important in the first months of life—and research shows that babies who are carried more often cry significantly less, especially in the evening (Hunziker & Barr, 1986). Less crying isn’t just about comfort. It helps build emotional regulation that lasts.

2. Bonding, Oxytocin, & Feeding
Carrying promotes the release of oxytocin—the “bonding hormone”—in both baby and caregiver. This supports attachment, improves breastfeeding outcomes, and can even reduce the risk of postpartum depression (Uvnäs-Moberg, 2003; Bigelow & Power, 2012). The closeness makes feeding easier, more frequent, and more attuned to baby’s cues.

3. Digestion & Physical Comfort
Babies worn in an upright, snug position often have less gas, reflux, and digestive discomfort. Gentle abdominal pressure combined with rhythmic motion supports the vagus nerve, which plays a role in digestion and overall calm (Porges, 2007).

4. Sensory Learning & Brain Development
Carried babies are active observers of the world. They watch your face, hear your voice, see what you see, and move with you. All of this sensory input supports early language, cognitive development, and a growing understanding of their environment (Trevarthen, 2001).

5. Motor Skills & Physical Development
Wearing your baby with proper support encourages healthy spinal and hip development, midline orientation, and early postural control. It also helps prevent flat head syndrome and supports the muscles used for head control, sitting, crawling, and eventually walking (Hadders-Algra, 2005; Kirkilionis, 2002).

But carrying all day is hard—on your arms, your back, and your life.

This is where babywearing comes in.
Not as a shortcut, but as a solution.

Babywearing makes the essential act of carrying more accessible. It allows you to hold your baby close without sacrificing your physical wellbeing—or your ability to care for your other children, move through your day, or take a moment to breathe.

The carrier isn’t the goal. The connection is.
The carrier is just the tool that helps make it sustainable.

Wearing your baby at home matters most

So many parents tell me they only reach for the carrier when leaving the house. And I get it—it’s marketed that way. But truthfully, the most powerful benefits of babywearing happen in your everyday rhythm:

At home.
On a walk.
During fussy afternoons.
When you just need a moment of quiet presence for both of you.

When babywearing becomes a daily support—not just a convenience—it becomes part of how you meet your baby’s needs, care for your own body, and move through the ups and downs of postpartum life more gently.

And here’s something that might surprise you: it doesn’t stop after the newborn phase.

Older babies and toddlers still benefit from being carried. It gives them a safe place to reset when they’re overstimulated, teething, or needing closeness. It’s co-regulation, even when their legs can walk. It’s a soft landing in a big world.

Babywearing helps you give more—without burning out

That’s what I want you to know: babywearing isn’t something extra you have to do.
It’s something that makes everything else easier.

It helps you meet your baby’s biological needs for safety, connection, movement, and regulation—and gives you freedom, mobility, and peace of mind in the process.

So no, it’s not “just for convenience.”
It’s for development.
It’s for bonding.
It’s for building a foundation of confidence—for your baby and for you.

Want support making babywearing work for your life?

Join our next Womb to World workshop to learn how babywearing supports your baby’s development, how to wear them safely and comfortably, and how to make carrying part of your rhythm at every stage.

Or book a private babywearing consultation for personalized guidance that meets you exactly where you are.

Carrying is essential.
Babywearing just makes it possible.
And you're not meant to figure it out alone.

Sources & Recommended Reading:

• Hunziker, U.A., & Barr, R.G. (1986). Increased carrying reduces infant crying: A randomized controlled trial. Pediatrics, 77(5), 641–648.

• Bystrova, K. et al. (2009). Early contact versus separation: Effects on mother-infant interaction one year later. Birth, 36(2), 97–109.

• Uvnäs-Moberg, K. (2003). The Oxytocin Factor: Tapping the Hormone of Calm, Love, and Healing.

• Bigelow, A. & Power, M. (2012). Mother-infant skin-to-skin contact: Short- and long-term effects. Early Human Development, 88(9), 559–566.

• Porges, S.W. (2007). The polyvagal perspective. Biological Psychology, 74(2), 116–143.

• Trevarthen, C. (2001). Intrinsic motives for companionship in understanding: Their origin and significance. Infant Mental Health Journal, 22(1-2), 95–131.

• Hadders-Algra, M. (2005). Development of postural control: What has infancy to tell us? Neural Plasticity, 12(2-3), 69–79.

• Kirkilionis, E. (2002). A Baby Wants to Be Carried: Everything You Need to Know About Baby Carriers and the Benefits of Babywearing.

• Small, M.F. (1998). Our Babies, Ourselves: How Biology and Culture Shape the Way We Parent.

• Konner, M. (2005). Hunter-Gatherer Childhoods: Evolutionary, Developmental, and Cultural Perspectives.