Babywearing and sleep

This article was first published in the Natural Parent Magazine, Issue 58, 2025, alongside this beautiful artwork titled "Flourished, mind, peace" by Ada Przesada - and here with permission.

Ah, sleep, blissful sleep. Sleep for baby, sleep for children, sleep for teenagers, sleep for parents and caregivers. Too much, not enough, how would we know? Over the course of human history and across cultures, sleep has been social, flexible, wakeful, and adaptive. Relatively recent changes in our western way of life have impacted our expectations and structure of sleep, resulting in a potential mismatch between our human physiology and social constructs (2).

How much sleep is enough?

Understanding how much sleep we need at which age leads us to a veritable minefield of information and recommendations across the lifespan. The only thing that seems clear is that we are all different, with different sleep needs, across different nights, across the lifespan, even from birth (1,2).

As with many things, human sleep needs range along a bell curve, from low to high, with most of us somewhere in the middle (2). Newborns can range from needing between 9-20 hours of sleep per 24-hour period. This means that some normal, healthy babies need half as much sleep as their peers (2). In real life, this can have significant impact on daily family rhythms. Imagine two children, with sleep needs at each end of the bell curve. One child thriving on 20 hours of sleep, the other flourishing with only 10 hours per day. How does a caregiver figure out which child leads the family rhythm?

Balancing different sleep needs

There may be a few alternatives in this scenario. Firstly, the caregiver reasons that more sleep is better. And so, spends 10 hours per day trying to get the low sleep needs child to sleep the same length of time as the high sleep needs child. This is tricky, as one cannot make another person sleep (2,3,4). And so, potentially, come darkened rooms, white noise machines, sleep training strategies, and a caregiver slowly withering away under the intensity of an unsettled child determined to meet their sensory needs, by seizing the day filled with play.

Secondly, the caregiver reasons that their own mental health requires sunlight, leaving the house, and interaction with other humans. And so, spends 10 hours per day trying to keep the low sleep needs child busy with activities to fill their sensory cups, while the higher sleep needs child crashes and burns with the relentless pace of life.

How does a caregiver balance the needs of these wildly different children? Enter babywearing as a tool to meet the needs of all family members.

Babywearing supports sleep

Many children find great comfort in being held and enjoy a nap when in the carrier. When children are held close, their bodies have higher levels of oxytocin, the feel-good hormone, and lower levels of cortisol, the stress hormone (5). Closeness supports regulation of breathing, heart rate and temperature. Keeping children close reassures them they are safe, allows their caregivers to respond to their needs, and supports their physiology and development. Holding a baby upright as they sleep can also provide an alternative, comfortable, upright positioning, which assists in the management of conditions such as plagiocephaly (flattened head shape) and hip dysplasia.

Biological regulation of sleep

There are two biological regulators of sleep – circadian (body) clock, and sleep pressure.

Our body clock is a little bundle of nerve cells in our brain that drives our changes in our body over 24 hours, including our sleep and wakefulness cycles. Babies develop their circadian rhythm over the first few months of life, learning the difference between day and night. Environmental cues such as light, noise, and activity signal to the body clock that it is daytime, while darkness, quietness, and stillness signal nighttime (2). We can support our body clocks by waking at the same time each day, welcoming sunlight exposure for our eyes, and filling our days with fun adventures (2).

Sleep pressure describes the feeling of sleepiness that we experience when we are tired, driven by hormone levels that rise while we are awake and fall when we sleep. The longer the awake period, the higher the sleep pressure and the easier it is to fall asleep (2). Sleep pressure rises more slowly as we age and varies from person to person and day to day. Once sleep pressure is high enough, sleep will happen. If sleep is not happening easily, we can try offering our baby a feed or a sensory experience such as a bath, going outside, having a play, or going for a walk (2,3). Then as the sleep pressure rises, so too does the ease of falling asleep.

No such thing as junk sleep 

One can find any number of sources providing conflicting information on sleep. I love the Possums Sleep Program approach to sleep, which is based on human physiology, is unique to each family, and focuses on enhancing joy in early parenthood (2,3,4). The Possums Sleep Program advocates for caregivers to understand drivers of sleep and trust their baby to take the sleep they need, when they need it. Cat naps, carrier naps, nap trapped, all types of naps are welcome and there is no such thing as junk sleep. Nap length that suits the individual and keeps nights manageable are viewed as helpful.

Possums offers a family-centred approach to parenting. Families are invited to explore different strategies that support their daily rhythms and meet the needs of all family members. Rather than viewing an unsettled baby through a sleep lens, Possums suggests a sensory lens. The caregiver’s joy and quality of life is encouraged through experiments with rich sensory experiences for both the baby and them, so that the sleep takes care of itself (2,3,4).

Babywearing is an incredible tool to support this approach, where the child naps in the carrier when it is ready, while the caregiver is going about their day. It is one of the reasons I adore Kangatraining, where babies invariably nap in carriers while their caregivers have a wonderful time, moving their bodies, and connecting with others. Bright lights, loud music, noisy chatter and laughter, movement – all the things that are often viewed as antithesis to successful sleep and yet the mainstay of establishing our body clocks and sleep patterns.

Other everyday activities such as walking, hiking, cleaning, chores, shopping, school pick-ups and more can also be done while our babies sleep in a carrier.

Sleep safety

It is safe for children to sleep in a carrier when your carrier is fitted properly. There are two main approaches to safe babywearing principles of which I am aware, and which can assist you to check your carry is safe.

The TICKS acronym (6):

• Tight – keep carriers tight enough to hug your baby close to you.

• In view always – ensure you can see your baby’s face by simply glancing down.

• Close enough to kiss – keep your baby’s head as close to your chin as is comfortable.

• Keep chin off the chest – at least a finger width space under your baby’s chin.

• Supported back – baby is upright, with back supported in its natural position, and their tummy and chest against you.

The Babywearing Practice SAFE acronym (7):

• Secure – baby is securely attached to the caregiver’s body.

• Airways – baby is upright, head is neutral, mouth and nose are unobstructed, chin is off chest.

• Firm – baby is firmly held in the carrier, with no gaps between baby, caregiver’s body, or carrier.

• Eyeline – baby is in view, and you can see them easily.

While it is not safe for the caregiver to sleep when babywearing, your bedtime might be closer when multiple things can be done at once, rather than waiting until the end of the day before tackling the next job on the list.

Either way, you spend the time

Sleep deprivation and disruption is tough. When it comes to managing this, you can spend hours of your day trying to get your child to sleep, or you can get on with living your day and trust that your baby will take the sleep they need. Either way, you spend the time. With your baby on your chest, you can balance your needs with your child’s, filling your day with meaningful activities that nourish the wellbeing and sleep health of the whole family.

If excessive night waking or other sleep issues are concerns for your family, you could explore the Possums Sleep Program, which is a gentle process to implement, and you may see some improvements within a couple of weeks (2). If you are worried about the health of your family, whether sleep-related or otherwise, reach out to a trusted practitioner to explore any potential underlying medical reasons that may be affecting your wellbeing.

Kato x

References

1.       Sleep Health Foundation, 2025, https://www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au/ 

2.       The Possums Sleep Program, 2025, https://possumssleepprogram.com/ 

3.       The NDC Institute, Home of Possums, 2025, https://ndcinstitute.au/ 

4.       Douglas, P 2019, The Discontented Little Baby Book, University of Queensland Press, St Lucia.

5.       Uvnas-Moberg, K, & Petersson, M 2005, ‘Oxytocin, a mediator of anti-stress, well-being, social interaction, growth, and healing’, Zeitschrift fur Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie, vol. 51, no. 1, pp. 57-80. https://doi.org/10.13109/zptm.2005.51.1.57

6.       The UK Sling Consortium, Baby Sling Safety – the TICKS rule for safe babywearing, https://babyslingsafety.co.uk/ 

7.       The Babywearing Practice, SAFE babywearing, https://www.sproutandme.com.au/safe-babywearing-guidelines