Baby wearing sounds strange but is really one of the most natural things and has been practiced in many cultures around the world for centuries. It is just what it sounds like…you wear your baby ON you. This practice is not only convenient, but it has many benefits for both the mother and the baby.
Dr. Sears, renowned pediatrician who champions attachment parenting, states on his website AskDrSears.com that a few of the many benefits of baby wearing are:
- Babies cry less
- They learn more
- They are more organized
- They get humanized earlier
- They are smarter
Before my first son was born, I knew that I wanted to follow many of Dr. Sears’ recommendations, baby wearing being one of them. So after Connor was born, our first outing was to the local baby store where we promptly bought a beautiful sling (and a Hooter Hider, but that’s a whole other post).
Connor HATED that sling. I tried to explain to him that I was trying to be a cool mom (and that the sling was soo pretty), but he would scream each time I’d try to put him in it.
One of my friends loaned us her Baby Bjorn…which he also hated until I figured out that he just wanted to be facing forward so he could see where we were going. But he soon grew too fat for the Baby Bjorn to really fit either of us comfortably (although we used it for 7 months). So our baby wearing days came to an end.
Enter baby #2. I was going to make baby wearing work with this one. So on the way home from the hospital, I made my husband stop at another local baby store so I could buy a Mobi Wrap. This Mobi was massive. It was like 14 ft long and you had to wrap yourself in it before you went anywhere or else it would get dirty in the parking lot, but Evan loved it. We used it for a while, but I still didn’t feel that it was the right fit for us.
Now with our adoption in the coming year, I am still dead set on baby wearing (actually more so than ever because of the benefits of attachment). So now I have an Ergo carrier ready to take with me to China. My only hesitation with this one is that the baby can only face you (not face out) and I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to keep her that way if she’s curious like Connor.
My point with this post is to say…don’t give up. Baby wearing is very important for your bond with your child. It may take a few carriers to find the right one for you, but keep looking. It’s worth it.
You can always check netvouchercodes for mother and baby discount codes for online stores.
