On Baby Wearing

Years before I became a parent, I remember earnestly trying to convince two friends, a married couple who were expecting, why they needed a stroller. They were convinced they wouldn't need one. I thought they were crazy. Their plan was to use baby carriers exclusively. I stored away that conversation (as far as I know they never used strollers with either of their two children and have no regrets) and didn't really think about it again until I became pregnant.

Almost two weeks after my son was born in May of 2006, I brought my husband, the baby, and the car seat to a class to learn about different baby carriers. Six pounds at birth my son was too small for the Bjorn and the Snuggli we had. I was beginning to worry that I'd never get anything done because my son, like all newborns, wanted to be held all the time. And I wanted to hold him all the time but there had to be a better way than actually holding him all the time. At the end of the 45 minute class I was hooked. I ordered two carriers online the minute we got home: An Over the Shoulder Baby Holder and a Mei Tai. They couldn't come soon enough. By the time I became a member of slings in the city and attended my first Baby Wearing Bonanza I was an advocate teetering on zealot.

About a year later, I started my own business teaching baby wearing to new and expecting parents, often with my own baby in tow. In the name of research, I obtained nearly two dozen different style baby carriers. But we only have ONE baby my husband would remind me. No matter. I had clients and I had friends with babies. I also had a MamaJacket, a Mama Poncho and a Peekaroo Vest.

A note on that: Practical they may well be but baby wearing clothes look absolutely hideous on me, particularly the poncho. What I was thinking? I know! Let's throw a blanket with a hole over the extra postpartum baby weight and the small child attached to my torso. Yeah that's stylish! It won't look tent-like at all. Those items were quickly resold.

These days I no longer teach. And I try not to offer unsolicited advice. But heaven help if you ask, 'cause I love babywearing and could talk about it and it's benefits till the cows come home.

Currently my stash is edited down to just: 1 Ergo (my husband's carrier of choice), 1 classic freehandbaby mei tai, 1 moby wrap, 1 mayawrap ring sling, one Beco, our OTSBH and 2 Didymos woven wraps. The others, I gave away to friends and strangers.

I've yet to figure out what to get the husband for father's day. It made me smile but it won't be this T-shirt from Nerdyshirts.com:

Happy Babywearing!