ExchangeEveryDay Past Issues

Exchange Everyday folks,

I am interested in reading the article that mentions right/left hip baby holding. When I used the link provided it brings me to the Psychology Today website, but not this specific article. I searched what was available on the website for the January issue and do not see this information. Did this article only appear in the print version?

Please send me the title of the article and author's name.
Thank you,
Maryanne Gallagher
gallaghe@gw.housing.umass.edu

My initial reaction was the same as Liisa's and Norman's above. Most people are right-handed and hold their babies and even toddlers with their left arm (and hip for toddlers) not only so we can multi-task, but also touch and tickle our little ones with our dominant hand.

I hope the full report does show the study looked at the left-handed adults as well (or at least the effects on the brain when holding on the right instead) or it really was a false conclusion, in my opinion. But then again, it was published Psychology Today, which I haven't read in many years, since it started becoming more of a pop culture magazine for the masses.

The information from the article was very interesting. I would have liked to have read more of it, but it seemed you were more interested in using the space to sell your infant curriculum. That was disappointing. Perhaps, you could let us know where we might find the full article. Thanks.

From a purely practical standpoint I've always favored carrying babies in my left arm b/c I'm right-handed and that leaves my hand free for multi-tasking! I wonder if this article takes handedness into account (the vast majority being right-handed).

I appreciate the article as touch is the primary tool in creating bonds and later attachments. However, given what the article says about the left side, what if the care provider is left handed and places the child's head on the right side, what are the effects? The article does not appear to address this difference.