Swing hammocks for babies are becoming more and more popular, but are still an insider tip with many benefits. Many parents simply don’t know this swinging baby bed and don’t know if it’s good or bad for your baby.
Is a baby hammock good or bad? – The list of benefits is long. It helps with writing babies who suffer from colic and, by lying down, promotes the development of your child, among other things, and prevents a flat back of the head.
Swinging crib for restless babies
For many parents this is a reason to think about buying a swing hammock. Even therapists and midwives recommend the baby cradle for its calming effect, which it also has on babies with three-month colic or writing babies. The reason for this is that babies in a swing hammock have almost the same movements as they did in the womb. A good baby cradle carries out about 70 to 80 swinging movements per minute.
Swing hammocks help with:
- Screaming babies
- promotes a rounded back
- prevents flat back of the head
- Three-month colic
- trains the sense of balance
The mother’s heartbeat has the same frequency. So the babies feel at home in the swing hammock almost from the first moment.
Benefits: Swing hammock for screaming babies
The first period after birth is a time of uncertainty. Not only the newborn has to get used to a completely new world, but also for the parents a stage of uncertainty and questions begins. This alone is stressful enough, but it becomes even more complicated when the baby has problems in the beginning, such as crying a lot or not being able to sleep well.
In the best of all cases, it is just birth shock and your baby will get used to his new world and relax after a while. But if these are symptoms of more serious illnesses, such as KISS babies or writing babies, action is called for. First of all: the slight asymmetry of the head or conspicuous three-month colic in writing babies are not unusual. Many babies struggle with these problems.
Nevertheless, it is important not to ignore these symptoms, as they are not just a temporary phenomenon, but can have a serious impact on your baby later – for example, through a malformation of the head. As the first sleeping environment for your newborn baby, swing hammocks are most often recommended by midwives – for babies in general and for screaming babies in particular.
Are hammocks good or bad for your back
For almost nine months babies lie in their mothers’ stomachs with a round back. And that is exactly how they are born. No baby comes and stretches its back right through. This would not be possible because the spine is still curved. In medicine, this is known as total kyphosis. The baby’s spine has to stretch very slowly now.
This stretching can last up to a year. The development is completed at the moment when the baby has become a toddler and is trying to discover the world on its own feet. This also explains why the round back is the ideal position for a small baby.
Stretching the legs
Another detail is the baby’s legs. In the mummy’s tummy they can of course not be stretched out long, but were extremely angled. It is not possible to stretch them that far in an adult. But for the baby it was a perfect posture the whole time. This posture allowed the baby’s hip socket to form properly. The legs also stretched during the first year of life. The baby’s bones are not yet as strong as those of a toddler or even an adult.
They still consist mainly of cartilage, which only slowly becomes firm. It is very important that parents do not go and try to help the child by stretching the legs. That has to happen all by itself. Even if the baby is lying in bed or in a baby cradle, it should be possible for him to lie with a rounded back. In the swing hammock they automatically assume this position.
Rounded back in baby sling
Babies have loved to be carried since time immemorial. This way, they feel directly the closeness to the people who are most important to them. This gives babies a feeling of security and has a greater influence on their development than one can imagine at first.
By feeling close, babies demonstrably become more confident and independent. However, it is important that the babies are carried correctly. By carrying the baby, the baby can assume the optimal position. The back should be round and the legs spread. This is comfortable for the baby and at the same time ensures that they develop physically correctly. Slings can be a good aid to carrying the baby correctly. Even the smallest babies can be transported in this way. With the face towards mummy, the sling offers them enough room for a round back suitable for children.
Benefits: Round shape of the head – avoid flat head
The round back also prevents the back of the head from becoming as typically flat as it often is when the child is constantly lying in a cot on its back. In order for the baby to be able to relax and unwind properly, the accessories must of course also meet the requirements. Recently, the trend has also been moving more and more towards natural materials for the upholstery of the baby cradle. Pure sheep’s wool, for example, can be used to ensure that the temperature and humidity are optimally regulated.
Another very important characteristic of natural sheep wool is that it hardly absorbs any harmful germs or bacteria. The natural lanolin of sheep’s wool is even used in various baby creams due to its anti-inflammatory properties.
Colic baby sleep
When a baby comes, our life changes abruptly. But our baby’s life has changed at least as much. For the last few months it has been lying peacefully and safely embedded in our bodies. All environmental conditions were perfect for the little nipper. Everything could have stayed the same. But as always in life: “When things are at their best, you have to go.”
Our baby is coming into a new world and has to adapt quickly. Not all babies are equally successful at this, because the muscles also have to get used to the new rhythm. Sometimes this doesn’t work by itself and the parents have to give the baby a little jump start. In the womb, the baby was always gently cradled, regardless of whether the mummy was walking or just sitting relaxed somewhere.
The baby was always moving. Scientists and baby experts agree that babies who continue to be offered this type of exercise are significantly calmer and more balanced. It has even been proven that this baby can develop their abilities much better and faster. A similar positive effect has been observed in babies with three-month colic.
What are colics?
Not all babies suffer from it, but parents of affected babies know how bad it is. Three-month colic is not only bad for the baby, but also, significantly, often a real challenge for the affected parents. Three-month colic is the term used to describe crying attacks in babies, which usually start in the second week of their young lives and can last up to a year in the worst case. Most often, however, such attacks last up to three months.
When does a baby get colic?
This is also where the term three-month colic comes from. There is usually no discernible reason for these violent attacks. For the parents this means many sleepless nights, but for the babies it is a small catastrophe. The little belly is cramped and aching from all the crying. The whole little body is under tension and the little face is red and distorted by pain. But in the meantime many therapists agree that there is a very natural help.
The swing hammock for baby flatulence pain
If it is not colic, your baby may also suffer from severe flatulence. The round posture helps to “deflate” properly. We adults also contract crampy when we have stomach aches. This is a natural behaviour and gives the intestines enough room to relax and let the air escape.
Babies lie similar to the womb in a hammock. It moves not only forward and backward, but vertically up and down. This movement corresponds as far as possible to the known movements. This allows the baby to relax additionally and the unpleasant accumulation of air in the small body can escape very gradually.
Benefits: Swing hammocks promote the sense of balance
Without noticing it, the muscles are used to compensate for the rocking movements. The feeling of balance can thus be improved from an early age and postural problems can also be counteracted.
The importance of balance is often underestimated, because we owe a straight running to it. If this feeling of balance does not work, it is not possible to estimate whether you are running straight or in which direction you are unconsciously leaning.
Already in early childhood, paediatricians look for signs of deficits in the sense of balance. Early treatment is important in order to achieve the greatest possible success. The use of a hammock promotes the development of babies and toddlers. Swinging is a form of exercise that almost every child enjoys, which is why hammocks are among the most popular and frequently used play activities.
The baby cradle is suitable for toddlers and babies, while colourful models are suitable for older children. Hammocks can be used for smaller recreational periods or for sleeping during the night. The balance is already trained during regular use.
The sides of the baby hammocks have been raised to ensure adequate safety.
Getting in and keeping balance can be a challenge the first time you use them. Restricted movement and postural deformities can be counteracted with a hammock.