Welcome to The Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival!
This post was written as part of The Breastfeeding Cafe’s Carnival. For more info on the Breastfeeding Cafe, go to www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com. For more info on the Carnival or if you want to participate, contact Claire at clindstrom2 {at} gmail {dot} com. Today’s post is about babywearing. Please read the other blogs in today’s carnival listed below and check back for more posts July 18th through the 31st!
I haven’t said too much about baby wearing on this blog. When I started blogging my youngest was almost two and I wasn’t wearing her much anymore. She and her sister both grew out of their carriers a few months after they started walking. I was okay with it because they were also pretty heavy at that point. And when I did put them back in their carriers they squirmed and cried and wanted out. Luckily they and I both loved our Quinny 4XL stroller.
I used a locally made ring sling for my firstborn and a Moby Wrap for my second. When I discovered the Moby I said that I wished I had known about it when my oldest daughter was born. When I started blogging I said I wish I’d known about the range of baby carriers available! If I could do it all over again I wouldn’t use a ring sling. I’d try on a whole bunch of carriers but I’m pretty sure I’d still use the Moby.
How did baby wearing change my life? I loved, and I mean I LOVED wearing my girls. Holding them close to my heart all day long, being able to nurse them so easily and being able to live my life hands-free was so awesome. As they got older I showed them the world around us. They watched me prepare supper and shop for groceries. They saw the world as I see it, through the window and over the fences. We hiked, we picnicked, we danced.
As a society I don’t think we touch or hold our children enough. Babywearing allows us to be closer to our kids for longer. It allows us to read their cues more easily and become in tune with meeting their needs.
After lugging around an infant car seat for a few weeks I learned that it was much easier to put my baby in a sling and take her into shops. I learned I could settle my babies faster if they could smell and feel me.
Baby wearing was awesome.
Do you or did you wear your babies? What do you love about it?
Here are more posts by the Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival participants! Check back because more will be added throughout the day.
- Sylko @ Chaotic Mama—Breastfeeding Carnival: Babywearing
- Emily @ Baby Dickey—do you babywear?
- Shelly @ Lousy Mom—Babywearing vs carrying
- Amy @ Anktangle—I love babywearing
- Claire @ The Adventures of Lactating Girl—Our Babywearing Journey
- Kimberly @ Monkey Tales Mama Thoughts—Wearing My Baby
- Lexi @ Life As A Mommy—Baby on Board – Literally
- Sarah @ Most Revealing—Do you babywear?
- Kate @ KateIsFun—Babywearing
- Melodie @ Breastfeeding Moms Unite!—Do you wear your babies?
- Renee @ Just the 5 of us!—Wearing My Babies
- Timbra @ Babes and Bosoms—Wearing her everywhere
- Natasha@naturalurbanmama—Breastfeeding and Babywearing
- And of course the guest poster on the Breastfeeding Cafe’s Blog today is Amanda Watsky—My Evolution in Babywearing
Related posts:
I wear my babies. My oldest I wore in a sling and/or wrap until he was over 2. My youngest is almost 2 and lives in the Ergo carrier, although I still use my ring sling from time to time. My kids are light and easy to carry and love being carried. My husband had our almost 2 year old on his back yesterday while we played mini golf for almost 2 hours. He was completely happy to just hang out. I am so glad that I wore and continue to wear my babies. I love to be close to my kids. Plus it’s so much easier then a stroller, most of the time.
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Melodie Reply:
July 28th, 2010 at 2:02 am
That’s so awesome and you are so lucky your hubby likes babywearnig too. I have one shot of mine wearing our first born. I try to pretend he did it all the time but he only did that once for the picture. :p
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I wore both my kids, too. With my first, all I had was a ring sling which I never found especially comfortable. But with my second I tried a bunch of different carriers: pouch, ring, moby, and mei tai. Each was great in its own way (LOVED the moby for the newborn phase), but I have to say if I were doing it again, I’d be partial to the mei tai, esp. after 6 months. Once I figured out how to do a back carry on my own, I was hooked! It was comfortable, she loved being back there, and it was safer to do things while wearing her (like eat!) because I didn’t have to worry about things falling on her little head. I wore her like that right up until her 3rd birthday, at which point I finally admitted she was too big (her feet kept kicking the backs of my knees, lol). I miss babywearing!
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Melodie Reply:
July 28th, 2010 at 2:04 am
I actually forgot to mention that I would have loved to try a mei tai too. I think I may have worn them interchangeably if I’d had one. They are so pretty and sound amazing. I’m envious!
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Yes, I wore/wear all my children, though this steamy heat is making wearing a newborn not so fun.
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Melodie Reply:
July 28th, 2010 at 2:04 am
Ugh. Yes. I had mine in the summer too. I remember….
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I tried to do it, but I have a chronic pain disorder and wearing my babies made me flare up in the worst way. I tried every kind available and couldn’t find one that was truly comfortable or took the weight off my shoulders. Probably the closest was the Mei Tai – the Moby was horrible in the way it put all the weight on one side of my body. (I know it’s not “supposed” to do that – but it did.) My partner carried them as much as he could until they started walking; we never really used a stroller. We did other attachments things, but baby-wearing just didn’t work out.
Chandelle´s last [type] ..three kinds of pickles
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Chandelle Reply:
July 26th, 2010 at 3:58 pm
Oops, I mixed up the Moby with the Maya wrap. The ring sling was a total failure. The Moby was way too hot with all that fabric! Like I said – just didn’t work out.
Chandelle´s last [type] ..three kinds of pickles
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Melodie Reply:
July 28th, 2010 at 2:06 am
I have heard that for women with back problems babywearing can be a real challenge. Some find more comfort in a backpack type carrier but others can’t do it at all. I think if you’re breastfeeding you’re still dooing great maintaining that closeness all the time.
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I love wearing my baby. I use a ring sling when I’m running errands because its so easy to pop her in and out of the hip carry. Around the house I mostly use my sleepy wrap because it gives the best lower back support. When I’m taking my pre-schooler to the park I use the Infantino and forward face Alice because she LOVES to watch Liam on the swing. Oh I love babywearing so much. xo
Jenny´s last [type] ..first tooth
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I’ve worn both of my babies. In fact, I still wear my 2-year-old on my back in a mei tai when he really won’t sleep. Which is often, thanks to his big sister. It’s like he needs that closeness, snuggled right in, to tune out the world and rest. I’m going to be sort of sad when he stops, I think.
Amber´s last [type] ..Crying Like a Baby
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Melodie Reply:
July 28th, 2010 at 2:06 am
I love your mei tai Amber!
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I couldn’t imagine how much harder life in the city would be without wearing our daughter. Just yesterday, we went to our favorite restaurant with friends from the suburbs, our daughter in a carrier and their son in a stroller. The restaurant wouldn’t allow the stroller in the seating area! I had no idea since we never use a stroller.
We have an Ergo, a mei tai, and a ring sling, and we use all of them. The ring sling was my absolute favorite for the first 4 months (baby laying vertically on my chest, not sideways), and I still use it because it’s so quick and so cuddly. My husband prefers the Ergo now that our daughter is heavier but also loved the ring sling. I love, love, love everything about babywearing. The bonding opportunity is priceless. The hands-free aspect is just a bonus for me- a big one though
Mama Em´s last [type] ..Like a kick in the belly
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Melodie Reply:
July 28th, 2010 at 2:07 am
That’s great to be able to have an example from real life when babywwearing *is* more convenient than strollers. I think most new moms believe strollers are easier for everything and that babywearing is complicated. But you take up a lot less room when you babywear, that is for sure! Thanks for sharing!
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We babywear quite a bit- when our little one was new with the moby, and as she got older with a baby-hawk style carrier we got at a farmers market, and now that she is 8 months most often with the hip carry in a babyroo sling. I love how easy it is to pop her in an out, she even sleeps in the hip carry
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I may be just a little obsessed with babywearing. I have almost every type of carrier, from a Chicco backpack style carrier – with a frame and all the straps and buckles – to a pagne – which is literally just a yard of fabric you use to tie a baby to your back, popular in Western African countries. My favorites were the Maya Sling when the baby was younger and the Ergo now. My husband’s favorite is definitely the Ergo, which he thinks is a miracle and so much better than a stroller in crowded places.
I’m hoping to use my Moby a lot more with baby #2, due in December, since it was too hot for all the material last time and I LOVE the idea of being able to nurse hands-free.
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Melodie Reply:
July 28th, 2010 at 2:09 am
I’ve never heard of the Chicco or Pagne. Good to know there are so many wonderful options out there.
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YES!!! I wear my babies, and love it!!! I still wear my youngest, who is almost 2, when he seems to need it (sometimes while I make dinner–I wear him in my Ergo on my back). I agree with you 100%, they are way easier to settle, way easier to tune into for hunger cues, etc, and generally happier as marsupial babies. I have to say, though, that babywearing has always been a challenge for me. Even in the most ergonomic carriers, it hurts my back. I have huge babies, and they grow really quickly, so I think that contributes. I have always had back problems, since I learned to walk. I have severe curvature and easily slip out of place. I visit my chiropractor religiously when wearing my babies a lot, because it tends to put my back out. But it’s SO worth it to me. I believe in having them close ferociously, and think the only reason we don’t have actual kangaroo pouches is an evolutionary blip. Our babies are born the most immature of all mammals, so they need that second womb for as long as possible.
I didn’t learn how to nurse in a carrier til my 3rd child. Now I’m a champ! Though my 2 yr old is getting a bit tall to make it comfortable anymore–he has to scrunch down and my breast has to reach up!! Lol! It’s rare for me to need to wear him and nurse him anymore, but it does happen!
Great post! I love babywearing.
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Totally planning to wear. I don’t understand how people can carry car-seat style carriers around all day, and now I read that it isn’t even safe to do so. The idea of pushing a stroller in general makes me want to stay at home. Babywearing leaves arms even more free than carrying a purse and keeps baby close – Seems like a no-brainer to me.
I feel that people would treat their children a lot better if they were in close contact more often.
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Melodie Reply:
July 28th, 2010 at 2:09 am
“I feel that people would treat their children a lot better if they were in close contact more often.” AGREED!
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[...] Melodie @ Breastfeeding Moms Unite!—Do you wear your babies? [...]
“As a society I don’t think we touch or hold our children enough. Babywearing allows us to be closer to our kids for longer.” You are so right on with this. I wonder why, as a society, we’ve gotten so far away from our children?
And yes, I wear my baby. I hope to do so for a long time…as long as he likes it!
Amy´s last [type] ..I love babywearing
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My daughter will be 18-month-old old this week and I still wear her a lot… everyday actually
Our ring sling and our Ergo are my favourites, but when she was small she lived in the CuddlyWrap!
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Melodie Reply:
July 28th, 2010 at 2:10 am
I think that’s around the time I couldn’t handle it much anymore. They got too heavy at that point. I would save babywearing for long walks when they couldn’t do it themselves.
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I sometimes wear them, sometimes push ‘em in a stroller, sometimes let them be. I have about six different slings/carriers because each baby is different and preferred a different carrier. Also, me and hubby prefer different slings. This last baby rocks the ring sling! Except with daddy, she’s all mei tai.
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I use all forms of baby transport! There are so many wonderful options. Moby was great for the newborn phase and then we switched to the Bjorn (face out, baby would not have it any other way). at 10 months, he still gets excited to see the Bjorn! Daddy uses the backpack carrier on walks, and the stroller has been great in the heat.
Lynne´s last [type] ..Burying my head in the sand
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Breastfeeding and Babywearing are my two fave things about being a mom.
I wore my oldest until he was 2.5, but by that time I was 6 months pregnant, and physically I could not take it anymore.
I wear my 11 month old everyday, and he usually takes at least one of his naps in the carrier. I started wearing him at a week old, and it is honestly the only time he is still and on the move!
I get so many comments from strangers when I am babywearing, especially older women who always say that they wish they had something like that when they had babies.
To date my fave baby carriers are my Beco Butterfly carriers (I bought a second because I was wearing my first one out!) and my unpadded Taylor Made Ring Sling.
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Melodie Reply:
July 28th, 2010 at 2:14 am
I used to love it when my babies fell asleep in their carriers. And I loved talking to strangers or new moms especially about my Moby Wrap (I still do -I think they should have me on staff for the amount I extol their virtues!) I like that you have a couple different favorites from the other commenters. I will have to check those out.
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wore my baby and wearing them still.. however, i didn’t like the moby wrap. found it too hot and complicated! we use a Saya – it’s a local brand similar to K-Tan. I also had a pouch but prefer the double-pouched saya coz i find that it gives better support. also use a patapum toddler carrier
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I love wearing Claire- we’ve been doing it since she was just a few days old, and now she’s a 20 pound 6-month old
It’s great not to get the stroller out, and she loves being close to me. People always comment on how alert and happy she is…I wonder why? She is always close to her mother and safe and secure.
We use ring slings that I make (because they’re easy to get on and off) and a mei tai. Those are great for long walks! She always goes to sleep in the mei tai. I bought a really pretty one right before she was born and I love it.
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My daughter is 6.5 now, so no more babywearing over here. But I used slings all the time her first year and well into her second. My husband, too. I loved having her close to me all day, and having my hands free to cook and work and do things around the house. And as she got older, she loved to sit up and watch the world go by.
We took walks/hikes using the sling (and later a Baby Bjorn and then a backpack). But one of my favorite uses was while shopping, especially at the grocery store. I could walk freely from cart to aisle. And having her so close prevented the “oh-isn’t-she-so-cute” strangers from getting too close.
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