Looking into the history of babywearing, we find accounts which mostly show the lower sections of the population. People were constantly on the move - travelling or at work - and they had to take their children with them. The pram was not invented until the end of the 19^th century.

This painting by Adriaen van de Velde (1636-1672) ("Stop at an Inn", Museum of Fine Arts in Leipzig) shows that children were taken on trips and carried in slings.

Section of the painting by Adriaen van de Velde (1636-1672), "Stop at an Inn" (Museum of Fine Arts, Leipzig)

When Queen Victoria made the pram socially acceptable, its use soon spread in more affluent circles. There, it had long been usual to have children cared for by nursemaids and nannies. The relationship between mothers and their children was distant; it was a sign of wealth to employ staff to take care of the children, and the pram soon also became a sign of affluence.

Slings fell further and further into the background. In the 20th century, closeness and satisfying children's needs was equated with spoiling them; when, in 1950, it became possible to manufacture milk powder, even feeding, and thus all aspects of childcare, could take place outside the family.

In 1970, the biologist Bernhard Hassenstein introduced the idea of the "clinging young" mammal type. "Clinging young" are characterised by good hand and foot reflexes to cling to the mother. Humans are passive clingers, i.e. the newborn baby is not able to cling to the parent alone, but depends on the mother's support. Other characteristics of clinging young are sense organs which are only partially developed and unstable temperature regulation.

Once, the human was considered an altricial species and cared for accordingly. According to Hassenstein's finding, clinging young are a category of their own, with needs specific to their own species. They need immediate contact with the mother, warmth and skin contact, in order to mature further and develop well. By carrying out children in a sling, we meet all these needs. This has only been the case again in our societies since the 1980s. Babywearing is promoted by midwives, breastfeeding groups and doctors.

Source: Reference: Bernhard Hassenstein, Evelin Kirkilionis: Der menschliche Säugling, Nesthocker oder Tragling?. In: Wissenschaft und Fortschritt 42/1992