Slings - the oldest invention of mankind

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 16:23

At the end of the 20th century, it became popular among young mothers to wear babies in sling. Slings are fabric devices of various designs used to carry a child in the first months of life and up to 2-3 years old. This word came to the Russian language from English quite recently, but the very way of carrying children is about the same age as mankind.

Our ancestors also needed to equip their life, get food and at the same time take care of their babies. Once upon a time, our great-great-great-mothers used a sling in which they carried their babies. First, they were made from the skins of killed animals, and then from cloth.

One of the oldest depictions of a patchwork sling for carrying children dates back to the first millennium BC. It was found in the tomb of Montuemhat, the high priest of the god Amun, in the western part of Thebes.

At that time (about 720 BC) Egypt was actually ruled by women - the "wives of God" (daughters of the pharaohs). And, of course, there was always a loyal friend near a weak woman. Under the wife of the god Nitokris, the priest Montuemhat rose to become the de facto ruler of Thebes. It was in his tomb that images of the life of women were found, and in particular a relief depicting a sling for children.

Subsequent mentions of the use of improved ways of carrying children come in the early 13th century, on the eve of the Renaissance. On the frescoes of the Chapel del Arena in Padua (1304-1306), the Florentine artist and architect Giotto di Bondone (c. 1266 or 1276-1337) depicted scenes from the life of Christ and Our Lady. Some of them depict the exodus of the holy family from Egypt. The artist definitely took into account the peculiarities of the clothes of that time, and it was very natural for him that Mary carried the baby on her.

We find images of women carrying a baby in a sling even later: in the canvases of the 16th century by the Italian painters Pellegrino Tibaldi and Andrea Ansaldo.

Preserved images of women in traditional rural costumes, lovingly looking at the children they carry in sling. For example, Rembrandt captured a woman with a child tied to her back (17th century)

In rural areas, not only patchwork sling was used to carry children - some outerwear assumed a design that made it easy and comfortable to carry a child in it.

Prototypes of such sashes and clothes can be found in the culture of almost all peoples.

Many peoples of Africa, Asia, as well as gypsies still wear babies on themselves in rags and shawls, and, for example, the Eskimos have special clothes - amauti, a park for carrying a baby.

In Russia, children were traditionally carried at home and on the street in a hem (apron). Proverb "Brought in the hem" has its roots in this custom. Hem in Russia was called not only the bottom of a dress or skirt, but also a special type of apron in which a baby could be worn. Carrying a child in a hem was a common thing; they went with him to the field, to the forest for mushrooms and berries. The older girls carried the younger children on the hip in this way.

In Belarus, this device was called a towel, the kids were transferred to the field behind their backs and on the hip:

However, in the 19th century in the upper strata of society, a special ideology of upbringing was formed that promotes distance and alienation in the relationship between parents and children in order not to spoil the child and prepare him for the hardships of life. The appearance of wheelchairs played a role in this. In 1840. a stroller was created for the English queen Victoria, and now the queen could walk with the child herself, without having to carry the child in her arms - work worthy of a wet nurse. The fashion for strollers began to spread actively. Women wanted to be "no worse than a queen."The absence of the need to take care of the child has become a sign of a wealthy and prosperous family, the number of servants of which allows raising a child.

The use of a sling in civilized countries was practically forgotten, being preserved in the rural outback, as well as in less civilized countries, among various tribes and nationalities, leading a lifestyle close to natural nature.

But in the second half of the twentieth century, the tradition of carrying children in sling began to slowly revive. Its origins, apparently, lay in the growing interest in the social life of little civilized tribes and peoples of Africa, Tibet and others. Comparative studies of various parameters of the development of children living in conditions of civilization and in conditions close to natural nature have appeared. It turned out that in terms of the level of mental and physical development, small Africans from poor families in the first years of life are much ahead of European children (later, small Europeans catch up with them thanks to the achievements of civilization). And the younger the child was, the greater the gap in performance. As it turned out, the reason for this phenomenon was the difference in the style of raising a child between a European and an African mother. An African mother does not keep the baby in the crib, does not carry it in a stroller or put it in the playpen. From birth, the baby is on the mother's back, tied to her with a scarf or piece of cloth. The child learns the world, seeing what the mother sees, constantly hearing her voice, he participates in her life, falls asleep and wakes up with her. Thanks to the closeness to the mother, the baby is calmer and receives rich material for the development of all senses, which leads to an acceleration in the pace of mental and physical development.

Several decades later, in different countries of the world, many mothers, psychologists and doctors began to use and recommend carrying children in patchwork sling, organize the production of various types of sling for carrying a child.

There are many advantages to using slings:

• Frees the mother's hands for various tasks.
• Allows the mother to lead an active life, travel with the child, go shopping, guests, museums.
• Provides the baby with a sense of closeness to the mother, so a healthy baby in a sling cries less often than babies in cribs and strollers.
• When worn correctly, the center of gravity of an adult does not shift, and it becomes very easy to carry a child.
• Gives the child the opportunity to look around.
• Convenient for breastfeeding. In a sling, you can feed your baby unnoticed by others. You can feed in a sling and do business at the same time.
• The baby's legs in an upright position are always divorced, which can be the prevention of dysplasia.

Of course, there are drawbacks, but they stem from the incorrect wearing of children in sling. If you learn how to properly carry a baby in a sling and follow safety precautions, then these disadvantages can be avoided.