The buzz word in parenting nowadays seem to be “bonding” and nurturing that bonding can be a lasting effect on having a loving and connected relationship with your child. I am all for bonding; therefore, I am also into baby wearing. Baby wearing has been done for centuries and even dates thousands of years. Hard to know that a carriage or a stroller is a modern invention. The plastic contraption that wheels your baby around is actually counter-productive to this phenomenon called bonding. But I digress, We have a stroller and we happily use it. However, I do notice that we are naturally more connected to our daughter when we baby wear Layla.
So what exactly is baby wearing? Baby wearing is exactly that. Wearing your baby to your body. There are numerous ways to achieve this. A Psling to a long wrap (pictured above) can achieve baby wearing. Many primitive cultures baby wear and scientists have discovered that in those societies, colic is virtually non-existent. Keeping your baby close to you also have great benefits. It frees up your hands so you can get on with your life, WITH the baby in tow. One of the most inspiring thing I heard was from Ergo Baby DVD. A woman worked FULL TIME while keeping her baby in the Ergo Baby. I must say that I was highly impressed with this. Anyone with a newborn knows; there are days when taking a shower is a struggle. So imagine working full time while wearing your baby. This is one of the tenants of attachment style parenting which I am a proponent of. I knew from the beginning that I would baby wear perhaps because It was so common in Korea, seeing halmonies (grandmothers) carrying their grandchildren on their back wearing a podeigi (a korean style wrap). So it was ingrained into my brain that this is what I would be doing when I grew up and had children.
How do you start? I would start by browsing sites like The baby wearer. There are wealth of resources and experienced baby wearers who want to spread the message of baby wearing. I admit, it can be addictive at times. A wrap has an emotional attachment that I will go more into in a later post. I highly encourage anyone to attend a baby wearing group if there is one in your area. We really love our Ergo baby and it has been quite a lifesaver for us many times over. I would have to say that the Ergo baby is one of the best gift we have been given. Baby Wearing doesn’t have to be an expensive endeavor. I know some mothers who are apt at sewing make their own wrap or sling. Some mothers have even made a business out of it. Check out some Work at home mothers like Olives & Applesauce and Bloo Kangaroo. Their carriers are work of art and you are supporting WAHMs which I am all for. Baby Hawk also seems to be a moderately priced yet popular mei tai for many mothers. Major retailers like Walmart (which we don’t shop) and Target carries Infantinos but those are to be avoided because of smothering and asphyxiation concerns and they do not support the baby enough. Kind frankly, I feel like a baby will get lost in one of them; it’s enormous! There have been some safety issues with experienced baby wearers which is commonly talked about on the baby wearer. If you would like additional information on baby wearing. Feel free to leave a comment.
Sources: Dr. Sears
Consumer Report
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[This post was written by Susie Kim.]
Hubby and I both wear our little one. We have a Maya LP ring sling, a few Comfy Joey pouches, a Peanut Shell pouch, an Eden mei tai, and a Calin Bleu wrap. The Comfy Joeys get the most use – they fold up really tiny, they’re reversible with great colors, and we take them with us even when we also have the stroller. Our little guy just loves being carried, and we love carrying him!
I loved wearing my baby, and now i enjoy wearing my toddler! 🙂 Our relationship has advanced through a variety of slings, and I LOVE sharing with my friends. I lend them mine to try and before I know it, they’ve purchased their own. 🙂