Your baby cries as soon as they're no longer in your arms. Even if it's only for a few minutes, they don't accept being alone without your body warmth and rocking.
This is a very common situation, rest assured, we all generally go through it! We know it's frustrating and sometimes exhausting because we need "alone" time.
Why does your 1-month or 1-year-old baby always want your arms?
For several reasons, a baby has a vital need to be in contact with their mother, father, or any other attachment figure.
Baby is born with an immature brain
Have you noticed that humans are the only mammals whose babies are highly dependent on their parents? A foal has the ability to follow its mother just 1 hour after birth.
In humans, baby takes about 1 year (it obviously varies) before walking. Specialists estimate that for a baby to be born as mature as other young mammals, their gestation period should be 18 months. But after 18 months of gestation, the diameter of their head would no longer fit through their mother's pelvis.
This is why carrying your child is in a way a continuation of pregnancy and thus helps continue their brain development :)
Baby NEEDS and not WANTS your arms in reality
Their dependence on you is therefore due to the immaturity of their brain. Until it's developed enough to start walking, baby needs you to discover the world safely, reassured by your presence.
Babywearing thus provides your baby with emotional security and optimal brain development.
Your baby's crying expresses their need for contact and comfort. They are in no way "tantrums," but simply a natural need that should be met for secure development :)
FUNFACT: have you noticed that your baby is programmed to cling to you like a koala? A newborn comes into the world with this ability to grip: the grasping reflex. Hold out your finger, and they will automatically close their hand around it.
Discover: Babywearing: will my baby develop bad habits
How to soothe a baby who always wants your arms?
Try to hold them in your arms as much as possible
We know that some healthcare professionals or loved ones may tell you that you'll make the phenomenon worse by responding to your child's cries as soon as you put them down to pick them up again in your arms.
In reality, a reassured child is a confident child who will discover independence on their own without feelings of abandonment. So it may seem counterproductive like that, but no!
Need your own arms back? Think babywearing!
With a baby carrier or a baby wrap, you can meet your child's fundamental need to be carried while continuing your activities. Of course, it's not about carrying for the sake of carrying, but being attentive to your baby's signals while being available for other things.
We know you have your own needs to manage and babywearing offers you this freedom :)
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| BABY CARRIERS | BABY WRAPS |
Be available if needed
During phases of discovering the world on the floor, you can stay next to your baby who can come back to you when they feel the need.
Over time, your child will have increasingly longer periods of "solo" discovery without feeling the need for your presence, because they will be confident.
"It's only when you've drunk your fill that you can move away from the source" :)
Remember that it's normal for your baby to ask to be held a lot during the first months of their life. The more confident they feel, the more independent they'll become :) Courage!