If you know me, you know I LOVE babywearing! There is nothing better than snuggling your baby close, and if I can do that and still have my hands free to do the hundred other things a mommy needs to do in a day, WIN!
My babywearing journey started with the mainstream carrier that everyone knows by name. Before I even had my own son, heck, before I had met my husband, I wore teenies in one at the daycare where I used to work. I snagged one at a yard sale for $15, knowing that someday, years down the road, I’d need one for my own kids.
When my son was 3 weeks old, we all went up to Washington for our annual camping trip with a group of friends and I made sure to have my carrier for any walks we might go on. The kid was only about 9 pounds at this point, but my back hurt after about 10 minutes and my son felt awkward. (I must have been so twitterpated with the concept those years before that I didn’t notice.) Later that night, our friend was getting ready to put her 4 month old down. She started wrapping with her Moby that she had just gotten and I was fascinated! It looked so sweet and snuggly. I started looking for one the night we got home!
Another of my friends here in town had one that she was looking to sell. Perfect! She came over and showed me how to wrap sweet J in it. I loved it immediately. It was so comfy and he was so content.
Knowing that I was going back to work full time as a nanny while bringing my son with me, I knew I’d need to babywear, and for long periods of time. I started to look into it some more. I found so many benefits while doing research online. Just google "babywearing" and some great links will pop up on safety (because there is a right way and a wrong way, and you want to keep your baby safe!), different types of carriers, the physical and psychological benefits, etc. Really, it became something I felt I HAD to do, and really wanted to do!
Here are some of the benefits of babywearing (here is a more official article written by Dr. Sears):
-It’s convenient! Babywearing allows you to be completely hands-free, while still meeting your baby’s need for touch and security. I have often nursed Josey completely hands free while doing my grocery shopping, walking the mall, making lunch for the kiddos I nanny, going on nature walks with those kiddos, etc. Really, you name it, chances are I’ve nursed hands free in that situation. There are times when a stroller is great, but other times they can be so cumbersome, even the smallest models. I can navigate the zoo so much easier with Josey in a carrier (I choose a buckle carrier, or soft structured carrier, or SSC for this for quick on and off so he can get down and up close with the animals.) I bring that and a backpack with a change of clothes and lunch and we are ready to rock!
Last year I did a fundraising walk in downtown Portland. I didn't want to park our suburban down there, so I parked at my parents' house and took the bus and the train.
-Babies learn about the world by watching your example right up close. Now, I love my stroller as much as the next gal (mainly for holding the heavy diaper bag!), but I have noticed that it’s really hard to interact with a kid in the stroller! When I would push the twins, my head was often in my own thoughts while they just kind of sat there, looking at stuff. And if they did day something to me, I couldn’t hear it without stopping and making eye contact. When I wear my son, his head is right up by mine. I can hear him perfectly and he can hear me. I talk to him and he talks to me. We have conversations about the things we see, the sounds we hear. He experiences the world from my point of view, from the safety of my arms, er, sling, hearing the beat of my heart. That has got to be calming, I would imagine. He watches how I interact with people. I truly believe that this has made him the outgoing child he is. He was very quick to pick up language, and I feel that being right there with me has at least a little to do with that. Here are pics of Josey's first snow and his first city bus ride! (Glad I didn't have a stroller to wrestle with on THAT trip!)
We also really enjoyed a great hiking trip last summer with friends. Our friend, Anna, and I both had our kiddos in our Bobas, and they even both took little naps on the way back!
-Proper babywearing promotes healthy physical development. Human babies are born about 9-12months before they are physically ready because of our narrow hips. Humans walk upright, so compared to other mammals that have wider hips from walking on all fours, our babies are born too early. If ours were to be born like say, a horse, who is up and walking within minutes of birth, we’d give birth to one year olds! So we give birth to tiny little babies so they fit. If we think of gestation needing to be 18 months, 9 in the womb and 9 out, but still very close to mom (think Kangaroo!), it makes total sense. Babies NEED to be in close proximity to their mothers to allow their brains to get completely organized. The womb keeps their little systems working properly. It helps regulate their body temp and breathing patterns, and heart rate. Babywearing allows you to mimic the womb like atmosphere after baby is born, but still desperately needs.
Babywearing also helps with growth and developement because you are right there, the best place to be intuned to their immediate needs. I could repond to his cues to nurse before he had to cry to get my attention, or change his diaper before he got a rash because I just FELT him squirm his little body to eliminate. He would fall asleep whenever he needed to, and got happy attention all the time, never having to ask (cry) for it.
-Babywearing is a safety thing. Back to the multiple kids aspect: During the week, I have two other kids with me at any given time. There is no way I would have survived back at work without wearing Josey most of the time. It was crucial when he was teeny, and I still do it whenever I leave the house with more than one kid. If we go on a walk, I have his carrier (the Boba, an SSC) buckled around my waist. He is only one and obviously cannot keep up with the boys, who are 3 ½ now. It isn’t safe for me to try and herd three kids going in opposite directions. There are SOOO many great little nature trails in the neighborhood where the twins live, and once we get to those more enclosed paths, he gets to run and explore with the boys. But first I have to get them through the neighborhood streets safely, so Josey gets worn on my back while I walk with the boys and hold their hands across streets.
We take trips to the library and Target, and I two days a week I pick up two other kids from school (opposite days than when I have the twins!) so going through parking lots is a safety hazard with small children. I HAVE to wear Josey to keep us all safe!
In the crowded grocery store, I wear him on my back. It never fails that no matter when I go, everyone else in town is there, too. Getting through the bread aisle, well, I try to avoid that at all costs. So I wear him. There is no way I’m going to park my cart with him in it so I can squeeze in to get what I need. I’ll leave my purse and my groceries, but I’m taking my kid. Steal my wallet, I don’t care, but my kid is staying with me.
-It’s natural, old-fasioned, and popular ALL over the world! Just recently in America has babywearing really taken off, but it’s not a new thing by any means! For THOUSANDS of years, mothers (and other caregivers, too!) have been wearing their babies all over the world. Look at any country, and you will see some type of babywearing. In Asian cultures, you’ll find the mei tai (pronounced MAY TIE) or podegi. In Latin America, they use a Rebozo. The Innuits use a really neat coat/carrier combo called an Amauti. In Africa they use simple pieces of cloth or fur to wrap with. These are just a few examples. There are more here in this link. I also found this blog full of AMAZING pictures from all over the place through the years. Check out that mom carrying the HUGE bundle of sticks with her head and her baby on her tummy!! Now that’s multitasking! See, people just couldn’t survive if they didn’t wear their children.
-Sometimes, it’s the only thing that works! SO MANY TIMES I have had a boy who just needed extra snuggles, some help to calm down, and some resetting. I can try walking with him, bouncing, singing, redirecting, you name it, but until I get him in a carrier, not much helps. I know my babywearing friends can attest to this. When Josey has a hard time going down for a nap, I know I can put him in the Boba, go into the darkest room in the house (the bathroom!) and, usually, he calms right down. If he doesn’t, at least my arms won’t give out trying! My hands are free to pat his bum, rub his head, hug him tight because the carrier is doing all the work of holding him securely.
When he was little, I could have him nap on my back in the wrap for a couple hours while I did my housework.
This past two weeks, he had an ear infection and is cutting his canines, so he has not been the happiest camper. Today I was trying to make lunch for all of us and all he wanted was to be held, so onto my back in the ring sling he went, and he instantly turned smiley. (Well, after I gave him an extra spatula to hold onto!) Every so often, he would just sweetly rest his head on my back in a “thanks for holding me, Mommy” kind of way. I live for those moments.
Toddler/Preschooler wearing!- Okay, I nanny 2 kids, have my own, and we have a double stroller... do the math. There have been times when Josey falls asleep in the stroller (yes, he does like to ride in them! I'm not ANTI-stroller all the time.), Twin #2 is riding in the other seat, and Twin #1 gets tired of walking or riding his bike because we've been out for so long. This is when having a really great carrier that can comfortably hold up to 45lbs of child REALLY comes in handy. I always make sure I have one with me, because I know that if I don't, I will have a huge fight on my hands with a tired and cranky kid. Or if we are walking to the Y for gym time and someone's little legs are taking them a little to slowly, on my back he goes while the others ride in the stroller. (It also helps if someone IS being naughty, they have to take a break on my back for a while before they get the priviledge to roam free again.)
So there are a couple of reasons why wearing a preschooler really is beneficial at times, not crazy or weird. I have also heard of some mothers wearing their developmentally challenged children because they CAN'T walk, and they choose the closeness of wearing their children. I'm sure wheelchairs are pretty hard to navigate on a hiking trail!
There you have it. My reasons for choosing to wear my children as long as they will let me. (And for the record, Josey is currently on a wearing strike and runs when I hold a carrier for whatever reason, so no, babywearing does NOT always create "co-dependant" children. He is quite the opposite right now!) Thanks for reading and feel free to ask any questions I may have not covered!
This girl brings so much fun to our lives! I truly believe that God gives you the exact person you need in your life, and I can see so many things he wanted to teach me by giving us Dani. She is sassy and brave, passionate and opinionated, nurturing and kind (mostly!), sensitive and fierce. She is a joy and challenge, and I'm learning so much about God's character just by being her mommy. I'll be posting much more frequently now that she is finally settling into more of a predictable sleep schedule, so be on the lookout for lots of pictures and updates! Thanks for visiting!
