Towards Independence

Some people mistakenly believe using a baby carrier will make a child "clingy" and "dependent". Which is a bit funny really because human infants are biologically wired to cling to their mother and are the most dependent on maternal care of all mammals on the planet!

Before independence must come dependence. Only through secure attachment with the primary caregiver - bio-typically the birth mother - can a human infant learn the skills of life to take forward into independence. It takes 8-9 years for an orang-utan to reach maturity and wean, skilled in selecting safe foods and able to live independently.

The human brain matures around 25 years.

Respecting the need for infants and young children to form a strong bond with their mother or other primary carer is not spoiling, indulging or "babying" them. Infancy (0-3 years) is a time of physical and emotional development which relies on being near the parent as they go about daily activities. While in the third year a toddler will play independently alongside other children, it is only in the fourth year that cooperative play with peers is beginning, as brain development begins in areas of logic, planning, emotional regulation and impulse control. Before this stage, the parent and other adults are the centre of the child's world.

So carry that baby or toddler with confidence! Their innate drive to independence is strong, built on a foundation of attachment and security.