I have the babywearing love...which means I take every opportunity to carry my 6 month old baby boy in a wrap or sling. The main reason I do this is quite simple....Cuddles! But it also deeply resonates with my feelings about positive mothering.
When I carry my baby close against me he is calm and
comforted; he can smell my scent, feel my warmth, my breath and heartbeat. He is happy.
And usually after 10 minutes of being carried, gently rocked by the
rhythm of my movement comes magic sleepy dust.
If he’s on my front, I can kiss the top of his gorgeous soft head. More
cuddles for me!
It just makes sense that a child in the ‘in arms’ phase should be carried, and as a bonus using the wrap or sling means I have two arms free to * put the washing out / do the shopping /chase my 3 year old daughter (* delete as appropriate). So my baby travels with me in my life, he is with me every step of the way.
I love that baby wearing is ergonomic – it reminds me of my
posture and, when I carry him on my back, counter balances the stretch of my
spine after nine months of a heavy load on my front.
So: well designed and also convenient. For me baby wearing means no pram, which means
no awkward negotiating doorways, crowded shops or steep hills. And no wrestling the thing in and out of the
car boot - phew! It’s a joy to go for a
walk in the woods, or over the hills or jump in puddles all with my baby on my
back.
And it’s very cute. I
so often receive positive comments about how happy and content he looks,
snuggled and cuddled next to me. When people stop and talk to me, he is
immediately at face level and so included in the conversation. This maximises social contact and engenders a
sense of individuality and independence.
There is a worldwide community of baby wearers and this feels
good too. I love to see other mamas out
and about carrying/cuddling their little ones.
I feel part of a supportive movement (no pun intended but it does work
quite well!)
There is a host of reasons to carry your baby and well
researched evidence suggests that it is super healthy for you and your little
one...but really...it’s all about the cuddles.
Emma Claire Tivey is a medical herbalist who specialises in holistic herbal healing, coaching and support for women’s wellbeing from menarche to menopause. Catch up on her herbal happenings at www.womanwiseherbal.com
And this is our baby wearing blog hop for those who love baby wearing please link up (don't forget to grab a button to let others know you love baby wearing and to direct them here to everyone else's baby wearing posts):
Love how you all put this together! Great idea! Love the pics! It's the only kind of pic that NEVER got taken: me wearing Jason in a sling and then a carrier, bummer! Any way, I pinned the blog hop to some of my boards, and tweeted, and FBed to two of my Montessori mom facebook groups. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteWould love, from you or your friend, a suggestion on best wrap/carrier for 14 month old who is getting pretty heavy. Thanks! (I love baby wearing too, but right now he is so heavy that we do not do it very often. When I do, it calms him, but can be uncomfortable for me rather quickly).
ReplyDeleteJennifer, I guess it depends how strong you are and how big your 14 month old is as to what suits you best. I used a Mai Tei that I got cheap on ebay (you can see it in the Toddler wearing on outings link up - number 6) and Hublet used a Chicco metal framed back pack when Goblin was that age. But actually we didn't know about Ergos and Patapums and I think we might have gone for those had we known at the time. The great thing about a MaiTei is it is very small so you can pop it in a changing bag and take it out when ever. At that mobile age they are up and down and in and out of slings so I found wraps were too much hassle.
DeleteI love wearing my little girl! I'm visiting you from the link-up and I'm heading to google how to wear baby on my back. I've got a wrap carrier and a 1 year-old and am SO ready to learn how to put her in a back carrier. Loved the photos, Emma Claire.
ReplyDeleteOh I lobe babywearing!! I carried Bunny in a moby, sometimes an ergo even into my pregnancy with Squirrel! Now I carry Squirrel a big portion of each day... just today we took a long walk with her in the ergo for the first time. I linked up an old post... and may link more (is that obnoxious? I just LOVE it so much lol) At least weekly you will find babywearing pics on my blog! Thanks soooo much for this great post and linky party! Carry on! (tehehe)
ReplyDeleteLOVE (not lobe... my excitement about this link up is a little bit much lol)
DeleteOh, I missed this. Should I still post something? Maybe wait until next year?
ReplyDelete