Baby, you wear it well

My friend Joni and I met up at the Children’s Museum recently and loved seeing all the babies that were being ‘worn’ by their moms or dads. Yes, it’s called babywearing and it’s an ancient practice that’s making a comeback (like co-sleeping and breastfeeding), and for good reason.

I’ve worn all my babies in all kinds of carriers, from slings to wraps to mei tais to a Snugli (I don’t recommend the Snugli). I’ve given out the name of what I’m wearing to interested mothers (hotsling! Moby wrap!) and directions for how to find tying techniques (youtube!). So it’s always exciting to me to see other babywearers,

So why babywearing? What are the benefits? Plenty.

Babywearing kept my baby right where they needed to be—next to me (or my husband). It only made sense—what baby would want to be sitting in an carseat when they could benefit from being wrapped up next to their favorite person in the world?

I could keep the carseat where it belonged—in the car. I don’t think parents could enjoy hobbling around with a carseat, it looks highly uncomfortable

It saved my back. And my arms. Carrying a heavy baby for any length of time is pretty tiring. When I wear my baby, that problem is solved. Using a quality baby carrier will distribute weight across your back, making it very comfortable to wear.

It’s hands free. Especially with having other children, I need my hands for hand holding. Being able to run or at least pick up the pace to chase an errant child is important. And having hands free to cook or do whatever else I need to do is a sanity saver.

See my blog for links. Spread the babywearing love!

Wrap carriers:
Moby Wrap
Sleepy Wrap

Backpack Style carriers:
Ergo
Beco

Slings:
Hotslings
New Native

Carriers listed on etsy:
Mei tai (pronounced May-tie)
sling
wraps

These are only a few of the many!