My Babywearing Story

This is a hard story to find the beginning of.  It could be my instinct to stay away from bucket seats, my instinct to hold my babies close, or the experiences I had during my babysitting/ nanny days.  It’s definitely a combination of it all that created this strong need to wear my babies.

The first time I was ever pregnant, babywearing was the first thing I wanted to get sorted out.  At the time I had only ever seen Bjorns, so it became my obsession to find one.  Sadly I lost that pregnancy.  A few months later I saw a mama wearing her baby in a beautiful lime green ring sling.  That image forever changed me.  I had to find one.

During my next pregnancy I was able to find a ring sling and even make a few, and also got a stretchy wrap.  After the birth of my first baby, I figured out very quickly I couldn’t work with ring slings and the stretchy wrap became the focus of our whole world.

With our stretchy wrap, I was able to be myself.  I could tote my newborn around arms free.  On those late nights of tummy troubles and spitting up, it became my salvation.  Babywearing quickly became a topic near and dear to my heart.

As my baby grew, we found so much joy in the simple act of babywearing.  We went for walks, I wore him to sleep, I had him at kissing distance his entire first year of life.  He was a worn baby, and it showed in his advanced intellectual development.

During my son’s first year, my husband was in an intense training.  He was home for maybe an hour a day and when he was home, he was absolutely exhausted.  I often felt like a single parent during the work week.  On the weekends, daddy would wear our son and they could reconnect and enjoy each other.

When baby #2 came along, babywearing was second nature.  I began wearing her immediately.  I transitioned into a soft structured carrier after she had outgrown the stretchy wrap, just like we had done the first time.

One day, at an AP group meet up, I talked to a mama about babywearing.  She talked about how much she loved her woven wrap and that her Ergo was no where near as comfortable.  ”No where near as comfortable?” I thought.  ”How can that be?”.  At another meet up, I saw a different mama throw her baby up on her back, quickly wrap him into place and then help me with MY kids.  I was amazed!  ”I must get a woven wrap.”

So my wrap obsession began.  These two mamas are leaders in my local babywearing group (and now are my very close friends) and with their help I have been able to learn to wrap safely and enjoy the wonderful world of woven wraps.  And for the record, I think they are way more comfortable than soft structured carriers, and so much prettier too.

This time things are different than when I had just one baby.  Not only am I chasing after another child, but my husband is deployed.  Babywearing is the only way I can live my life!  I believe it allows me to be the best mother I can be.

This week is International Babywearing Week and I am celebrating this very special gift.  I am very proud and very fond of my babywearing life.

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