Hmm, a Study Suggests There Is a Better Side When Carrying Your Baby on the Hip

You carry your baby when he cries, when you're playing with him, and to make him feel loved. And you're not spoiling your baby when you carry him all the time. You don't really give carrying your baby too much thought. Perhaps the only time you notice is when your arms have grown tired because he doesn't want to be put down.

The side where you carry your baby, however, may help you become more attuned to your baby's emotional needs. A recent study published in Nature Ecology and Evolution claims that humans (and other mammals) tend to carry their offspring on the left side of the body. It's called the left-side bias or left cradling bias, and it allows your brain to process emotions.

Scientists have long looked into the functions of the left and right side hemispheres of the human brain. The brain's left side is responsible for language, logic, reasoning, and for doing calculations and processing what we hear. The right side deals with emotions, intuition, insight, face recognition, and music awareness.

The right side of the brain is also responsible for the left side of body functions, while the brain's left side is responsible for the right side of the body.

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Researchers from Saint Petersburg State University explained that holding a baby on the left side may be the best way for a mother to notice and respond to a baby's cues. The study claims that left-cradling bias contributes to mother-and-child bond. The right hemisphere of the brain helps you to make sense of what you see on your left side of the body – which is your baby, if you're carrying him on the left side – allowing you to recognize your baby's expressions and determine what they need.

That said, if you find yourself carrying your little one on your right side, no need to be alarmed — about 70 to 95 percent of moms do so. (It is also an estimate of the number of people worldwide who are predominantly right-handed.)

You could be carrying your baby on your left because you need your dominant hand to do something else, though the study didn't cover handedness. Or, it may just be your body needing to even out the strain of carrying your baby's weight.

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