12 Reasons Why I Love Babywearing

Women throughout the world have been wearing their babies for thousands of years (if not from the beginning of time!).  From Nepal to Peru, Ghana to Indonesia, mothers all over the world have found different ways of using scarves, shawls or even just large pieces of cloth to carry their babies along with them as they go about their work every day.  Do a quick image search for "babywearing" and you'll find something that looks more or less like this

Women (and some men!) from all over the world wearing their babies in different ways.  And there's a good reason for it.  Not only is babywearing incredibly convenient for a busy mother, it's also a beautiful way to bond with and protect your baby.  Although the practice of babywearing declined in the West (North America and Western Europe) in the 1900s, I am incredibly grateful babywearing in the US is on the rise.  I don't think I could survive as a mother without it.

I love, love, love babywearing. I wear my baby every day and just about every where we go.  I wear my baby at home, I wear my baby to the grocery store, I wear my baby when we go for walks, I wear my baby at the mall and I wear her on our way to play group. I've worn my baby on public transport and I've worn her on an airplane. Heck, when she was really little I used to wear her at church, too. I am 100% serious when I say that baby wearing has saved my sanity and made life easier as a new mother. 

Although I'd seen countless mothers wearing their babies every day during my time working and researching in West Africa, I didn't really look into babywearing until I was pregnant with my first babe. As I did more research about the benefits of babywearing I quickly realized this was something I wanted to try. I researched different carriers (soft structure carriers vs. wraps vs. slings?), different brands (Ergo, Boba, Becco, Moby?) and ultimately ended up making my own wrap (<$10 of fabric vs. $30-$80 for a brand-name wrap -- I picked the cheap option) to use while my baby was little. My sister-in-law also snagged us a free Baby Bjorn (not such a fan) and we got an ERGObaby Four Position 360 Baby Carrier (LOVE!) as our baby started getting heavier and harder to carry in the wrap.  

It's been almost seven months now and guess what?  I still love babywearing.  And I want to share some of the reasons why.

1. It keeps my baby close and snug

When my baby was first born I was ridiculously anxious when she was anywhere but in my arms.  My husband used to try to take her so I could get some sleep but I'd spend the whole time worrying about her instead (anyone else hear phantom babies crying?). Even now that she's a lot bigger I don't like leaving her.  Babywearing lets me keep my baby close and snug where I know she's safe and happy. Goodbye mommy anxiety.

2. SHE feels safe and secure

There's nothing quite like a ride in the baby carrier to calm my little one down when she's upset. Ever since she was just a few weeks old I've been using our baby wrap or carrier to help soothe my baby. When she was teeny tiny I think the wrap reminded her of being in the womb -- she was snug and close to mom -- and she'd always calm right down as I walked with her.  Now that she's a little older, I think she knows that when she's in the baby carrier she's safe and secure and that mama isn't going anywhere.  The rocking motion created by walking or swaying side to side has always helped soothe her to sleep, too.

Which leads me to....

3. She takes the most awesome naps 

There are basically two ways I put my baby to sleep at this point in her life. She usually either falls asleep nursing or I put her in the carrier and gently rock her to sleep. She can't resist the side to side sway. Sometimes I try to take her out and put her in her bed but I usually just leave her in the carrier.  In her bed she'll usually nap for 30-45 minutes.  In the carrier it's usually somewhere around two hours.  Which would you choose? 

4. It gives me my hands back 

When I asked parents in a Facebook group I'm in what they love most about babywearing A LOT of them said "getting things done!"  Whether she's asleep or not, wearing my baby is a wonderful way to be hands free while still keeping my baby close. I can do my grocery shopping in peace (the few times we tried leaving her in her car seat she pitched an absolute conniption fit), I can do the dishes, work on my blog (yup, I'm wearing my sleeping baby right now), bake, clean, etc. So far I haven't really tried cooking while wearing her but once I'm comfortable wearing her on my back I'll probably try that, too.  I know a lot of moms love to cook with their babies.  

Check out this mama getting work done with her baby snoozing happily on her back

Another mom I talked to said babywearing made the transition from one child to two a lot easier on both her and her older child. She loved that she could keep her newborn close while still being able to play with her older son.

5. Helps deepen your bond

Wearing your baby is an incredible way to help deepen your bond. Not only is it easier to respond to your little one's cues, being in physical contact with your baby releases oxytocin, or the "love hormone," helping trigger feelings of love and connection to your child. In The Second Nine Months, an article about babies' need to be held, Elizabeth Antunovic writes,    

"Our silent and most potent language, touch, is the medium through which parent and infant communicate and become attached, each tender touch strengthening the bond between them... She is not bonded to material things like a stuff animal to hug, a soft blanket to cuddle, or an artificial nipple, but she looks to her mother or a real person for comfort."

Babywearing isn't just for mom, either.  Dad, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings (if they're old enough) and other caregivers can get in on the action, too. Some adoptive parents have also found babywearing to be a beautiful way to bond with their baby.  

Check out this sweet grandmother bonding with her granddaughter in a stretchy wrap. She says. "I have only had a very small amount of time with her since she's been born, but it was very beneficial to our bonding." 

Snapped this one while I was working in Mali, West Africa where older daughters often take charge of their younger brothers and sisters.  In both Mali and Ghana, I rarely saw a baby NOT strapped securely to someone's back

6. It helps keep me healthy

Babywearing is great for both your physical and emotional health.  Not only has it been found to help prevent or treat postpartum depression, it also helps with anxiety and builds confidence in new parents. Although I didn't struggle with postpartum depression, I definitely experienced anxiety and sadness at times. Because babywearing helps keep my baby calm and happy, it helped me feel more confident as I learned to meet her needs and respond to her cues. Babywearing is also great exercise. It's like lugging a 7-35 pound weight around with you all the time! Because your baby is kept so close it can also help encourage lactation, too.  

7. Improves communication (and less crying!)

Keeping my baby close makes it easier to read and respond quickly to her cues. Because I can respond immediately to her cues, it also means my baby doesn't have to cry out to get my attention. Plus, she tends to be very calm and happy when I wear her anyways (see #2)  In fact, a lot of babywearing mamas I've talked to say their babies hardly cry at all. According Antunovic this also helps to build trust and confidence in babies:    

"When a baby is held close to her mother, her cues are easier to read. Communication between them is made easier. When her cues are responded to, she learns that she can 'trust' that her needs will be met, that she is loved and will be provided for. This sets the foundation for her fundamental self-esteem and the foundation for all subsequent relationships that she will have in her life."

8. It's so much easier to get around

I don't know about you, but I kind of find strollers to be a big pain. I know they have their uses, especially when your baby gets too big to carry, but at this point in my baby's life, I hardly ever use ours. And who wants to lug a baby around in a big heavy car seat?  I just find it so much easier to use our baby carrier. She's a lot happier (see #2), I'm a lot happier (see #1-7) and I don't have to fight through crowds or worry about uneven terrain.  It's just me and my baby, happy, snug and safe. 

We recently traveled to visit my family over the holidays. Wearing my baby made the proccess so much easier. First off, I had two hands to manage my luggage (see #4). Security was a breeze.  I didn't have to worry about gate checking a stroller and I didn't have to stand around waiting for said stroller to be brought up when we landed. And I had a safe and secure place to keep my "lap child" during our flight, too. As one mom told me, "In the past week, I got through four airports like a boss with my Tula [a brand of baby carriers]. The car rental lady was like 'usually parents are struggling with their kids and their stuff but you've got it together.'"

9. Breastfeeding handsfree

Okay, I only just tried for the first time a couple days ago but it was pretty awesome. It felt so empowering to be able to feed my baby AND get dinner ready AT THE SAME TIME. I am mama, hear me roar! I can see this being really handy while I'm out and about, too. Breastfeeding. Hands free. Standing up. Bam!

Here's a quick and easy how-to video from the Leaky Boob. It's done with an Ergo but I'd think the same method would work with most soft structured carriers (SSCs like Ergos, Bobas, Beccos, Tulas, Lillebaby, etc).

Anybody else want a top like that?

10. Provides more opportunities for learning 

Babywearing gives my little one a safe place to view and interact with the world around us.  She can watch as I chop veggies, or point out a pretty flower on our walk as we explore the world together. She can observe and process what's happening around her -- all from the safety of mama's arms (or well, mama's chest really but that just sounds kind of awkward). As Antunovic explains, 

"When carried in her mother's arms, the child gets a safe place from which to view the world, It is from this safe known place that babies learn about the unknown. When a baby is in a calm and alert state and in touch with her mother, she is in the optimum state for observing and processing all that is going on around her. These different opportunities for learning create the sparks for the neurons in her brain to grow and branch out and meet and intertwine with other neurons. The more these neurons grow and branch out, the greater the brain growth."

11. It's healthier for my baby 

Babies need to be held. A lot. Neurologist Richard Restak goes as far as to say that, "Touch, it turns out, is as necessary to normal infant development as food and oxygen" (as quoted in The Second Nine Months). FOOD AND OXYGEN PEOPLE! It seems like more and more people, however, are simply moving their babies from one container to the next these days.  Babies go from a swing to a bouncer to a car seat, to a play mat and then back to the swing again. Now, I'm not saying you have to hold your baby every second of every day or that you're a bad parent if you use a swing, bouncer, play mat or car sear (I've certainly used all of them) -- sometimes you've got things to do and you need your hands! Babywearing, however, offers another, potentially healthier avenue that allows you to touch, hold and snuggle your baby while also getting work done.

Added bonuses, since baby isn't spending a lot of time on his/her back, babywearing can help prevent flat head syndrome! I've heard babywearing is great for babies with acid reflux (keeps the baby upright) and it also helps keep prying, germy hands away, too! As cute as those "NO TOUCHING! Your germs are too BIG for me!" signs are, I'd rather just wear my baby.  When I'm babywearing I've found that people tend to miraculously hold back more (I'm guessing because my baby is tucked away close to my chest).  If they do still touch my baby, they're more likely to touch the wrap/carrier or maaaybe squeeze her little foot.  I much prefer that to them pinching her cheeks or playing with her fingers.

12. There's no better view!

There are few things that fill me with more love and joy than my sleeping baby's face. When I'm babywearing I love looking down her face rested on my chest, listening to her quiet little breaths.  It really doesn't get much better than this

Those are my top 12 reasons for loving babywearing but what about you? Do you babywear?  If so, what do you love most about it?


*** Although this post was not sponsored it does contain affiliate links.  I make a small profit when you buy products from these links at no additional cost to you***

Six DOs and DON'Ts for keeping your baby safe on the road

When I first started reading up on car seat safety as a preggo mama-to-be I was shocked at just how much there was to learn about proper car seat safety and even more surprised (horrified?) at how many parents were unknowingly putting their babes at risk every day. Turns out, there's a lot more to car seat safety than simply clicking a few buckles and then carting your babe around wherever you go.  I quickly learned that when it comes to keeping babies safe in the car, Mad Eye Moody was right. Nothing but "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" will do.

To help my fellow mamas and papas (or anyone who ever has a baby in their car) make sure their babies are safe, here's a handy list of do's and don'ts (complete with informative videos) when it comes to transporting your little one(s) in the car.

1. DO your research beforehand and make sure your car seat is properly installed  

Make sure to read both your car seat and vehicle manuals before installing your car seat (or go read them right now if your car seat is already installed -- about 75% of car seats aren't installed properly so chances are there's something you could improve upon). I also highly recommend watching an installation video from a trusted source (ie a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician like The Car Seat Lady) -- they always help make things more clear for me. We found this video to be really handy when it came to installing our Chicco Keyfit 30. When you've finished installing your car seat it shouldn't move more than an inch in any direction when you tug on it. You can also get help installing your car seat from a local Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST). These are people who are trained to correctly install car seats. You can find one near you here.       

2. DO install your car seat in the safest place in the car
The safest place for your baby is snugly secured in their car seat in the back seat.  Never install your child's car seat in the front passenger seat.  All children 12 and under should ride securely buckled in the back seat. The middle seat in the back seat is the safest place to install your baby's car seat. One study found that children three and under were 43% safer in the middle seat.  If, however,  you have additional children or passengers riding in the back, it's recommended to put the person least protected (ie in a forward facing seat) in the middle seat. Check out this guide from the Car Seat Lady to learn more.   PLEASE NOTE: not all vehicles will allow you to install your car seat using LATCH in the center position.  I only recently discovered that our car doesn't allow LATCH installation for the middle seat. The lower anchors we'd been using for the last six months are actually only supposed to be used for the side seats.  WHOOPS! So we reinstalled the base using our car's seat belt. Phewf!  Check out this overview from the Car Seat Lady for more information about using LATCH in the center seat position. 

3. DO learn how to correctly buckle your child in his/her car seat. 

It's important that your baby is buckled in tight and snug in their car seat.  If their straps are too loose the intense forces experienced in a car crash (the kind that can cause steel to ripple) could render your car seat useless. To make sure your baby's straps are tight enough, try the pinch test -- if there is enough material left at the shoulders that you can pinch a fold together, your straps aren't tight enough. Also, don't forget to check for slack around the legs! Often simply pulling the "tail" of the car seat to tighten the straps will get the shoulder straps nice and snug but will do nothing for the slack around the legs (don't worry, I've got a video coming up to show you how to fix this). Make sure the chest clip is correctly positioned, too.  It should run from arm pit to arm pit. The straps should not be twisted, but rather lie flat against your baby. In addition, make sure your baby's head isn't tilted forward as this can restrict breathing. Instead, try positioning your baby's head to the side. 

Just in case any (or all) of that was confusing, here's a fantastic video from the Car Seat Lady. Even if you feel like a car seat buckling pro, I highly recommend watching it.

4. DON'T endanger your baby by putting your car seat in an unsafe place.

Car seats are designed to be used in the car and if you have a travel system maaaybe snapped or buckled into your stroller.  That's about it. Car seats are not meant to sit on top of a shopping cart (even though you see parents doing this every. single. time. you go to the grocery store.  Don't do it!  I highly recommend baby wearing instead), they're not a makeshift crib (this news story was enough to scare me into never letting my baby sleep for long periods of time in her car seat), a bouncer or a high chair. Never place your baby's car seat on elevated or uneven surfaces.  For more info check out the video below from Baby Gizmo about How Not to Use an Infant Car Seat. 

5. DON'T fall victim to fluff!

It's freezing cold outside and you and baby need to take a trip in the car. Bundling baby up in a puffy winter coat is actually a big safety hazard, as is using any kind of insert or muff that goes between your baby and the car seat straps (like the popular JJ Cole BundleMe). In the event of a crash, this "fluff" is compressed, making your baby's previously snug car seat straps loose enough to allow your baby to slip out.

Terrifying, eh?  Instead of putting your baby in that puffy coat and your fuzzy car seat muff, dress your baby in tight fitting layers (fleece works great) and tuck a warm blanket OVER your baby if extra warmth is still needed. You can also put your child's coat on backwards over the straps after they are safely buckled into their car seat.  Check out this post from the Car Seat Lady for more information about keeping your baby both warm AND safe in the car.  She's got a great list of products that are safe to use with your car seat, too.

6. DO keep your baby rear-facing as long as possible

Your baby will likely outgrow his or her rear-facing infant carrier somewhere around their first birthday. This does not mean that they are now ready for a forward-facing car seat.  In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children ride rear-facing until they are at least two years old.   Because studies have shown that children are five times safer when they are rear-facing most experts encourage parents to keep their babes rear-facing for as long as their seat will allow, even past two years old if they can. Once your baby outgrows their infant carrier, invest in a convertible seat that allows you to safely transport your child in a rear-facing position for as long as possible. Check out this great rear-facing myths busters article from Car Seat for the Littles to learn more.

Although convertible car seats can be expensive, there is a car seat for every budget. Some more affordable brands include Cosco (the Cosco Apt 40RF Car Seat is currently $59.99 on Amazon), Safety 1st (the Safety 1st Air Convertible Car Seat is currently $84.99 on Amazon), Evenflo (the Evenflo SureRide DLX Convertible Car Seat is currently 89.98 on Amazon) and Graco (the Graco My Ride 65 LX Convertible Car Seat is currently $109 on Amazon).  

If you've got a bit more to spend, I recommend the Chicco NextFit Convertible Car Seat or the Britax Boulevard ClickTight Convertible Car Seat. Both are great seats with easy install features.  We ended up getting a smoking good deal on an older model of the Britax Boulevard, the Britax Boulevard G4 Convertible Car Seat.  It doesn't have the cool ClickTight technology (which basically just makes it easier to install) but it's still a great seat. 



6. DON'T forget, CONSTANT VIGILANCE.  Mad Eye is watching.

All jokes aside, it really is important to be vigilant when it comes to car seat safety.  I recommend double checking everything when you put your little one in the car and then it doesn't hurt to check once again.  Double check that the straps are tight enough and that your chest clip is properly placed. Double check that your straps aren't twisted but lie flat against your baby. If you're using a base, double check that it hasn't become loose over time or been mistakenly unbuckled. Double check that your car seat is properly clicked in the base by pulling up on the handle to make sure the car seat connected securely. Double check, double check, double check!

  

I also recommend following someone like the Car Seat Lady on social media (can you tell I'm a fan?). People like her vigilantly post car seat safety tips, informational resources and recall notices. She also has lots of tips for fitting three car seats across. I've learned so much from following her. Just the other day she posted to following from a Facebook fan:

"Hug your babies a little closer tonight... and after they're asleep, read up and make sure they're as well protected as this baby was. Start by watching this video to make sure you're buckling your child properly -http://youtu.be/84CzHRsFoo8

"'My husband, 7 month old daughter, and I were involved in a really bad accident last night... one in which the paramedics said we shouldn't have survived. My husband and I have a little soreness but my daughter was completely unscathed. I attribute a large part of that to learning from you the proper installation of her car seat and buckling her in, your impressing upon me the need to be obsessive about the installation and buckling, and your post on keeping children safe in car seats in the winter. What you do saves lives so please don't stop. After reading your article on winter car seat safety, I ditched my expensive car seat muff (that hurt smile emoticon and she had on a very thin fleece onesie instead of a puffy coat or all-in-one.'"

Constant vigilance about car seat safety could be the difference between life and death for your little one in the event of an accident. You're precious cargo deserves to be protected. 

*** Although this post was not sponsored it does contain affiliate links.  I make a small profit when you buy products from these links at no additional cost to you***