It’s National Babywearing Week and I couldn’t help but want to share my experiences with babywearing since L was born. If you take one look at my Instagram you can see that I LOVE IT and my various carriers and wraps are always on my must have lists for new moms. I am not going to lie, when I first found out I was pregnant I had no idea about all of the wraps, ring slings, SSC (soft structured carriers), and conversions. I had only seen some of my fellow moms rocking theirs and reached out to them to figure out what the fuss was all about. I learned how to wrap (and I am sure made some errors at the beginning) and joined some local groups to get tips and learn more about it!
I rocked my Happy Baby Wrap every day when L was small and I loved being able to use it early on even though he was a preemie. It gave both he and I that close contact he needed while allowing me to have my hands free and know he was safe and snug on me. It made it so I could go grocery shopping, run errands, out to meet friends, and basically anywhere else and not have to worry about if his stroller would fit or lugging it in and out of the trunk. Another BONUS is that he always slept once he was put into it.
L is a big baby and always has been so he outgrew our wrap around 5 months old when he reached 20 lbs and it became way too uncomfortable to wear him in it. We got en Ergo because that was what I knew and I had found one on sale. It was great and I was even able to convince Tommy to wear him from time to time! We used it for hikes, to go to more crowded places so we wouldn’t have to take the stroller, and it still always provided a good nap when we had to be gone most of the day. But that one became uncomfortable as L got even larger, the backpanel was too short and he would bend back way too far out of it. We then moved onto a Lillebaby and it was honestly so much more comfortable. We started wearing him on our backs (which is now the only way Tommy will wear him) and L loves it! It doesn’t provide the naps like it used to but it is a great alternative to lugging a stroller around.
I know there are times where people get negative comments when they are wearing their kids, but I can’t imagine not wearing L around and I plan to do it even more when we have a second kid. I know so much more about it and am excited to try even more types of carriers!
It gave us a special bond with him when we were able to keep him close to us and our pediatrician was a huge babywearing supporter. He always told us not to take his infant car seat in with us places as it helps their development to feel the motion of you walking with them. I am by no means judging an mom who chooses to do that because, trust me, we did it too.
So Mama’s WEAR ALL THE BABIES and ignore all those negative comments and rock those carriers!
About Guest Blogger: My name is Julianna Lowe and I am 26 years old. I have been married for four year to my husband, Tommy and we met in College! We have a 15 month old son named Luka who is the most amazing kid.He is always smiling and laughing and loves to chase his dogs and give them snacks. We love being outside, active, and are regulars at all of the parks around here. – Let me know if you need more here.
