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Why I Wear My Baby
location: Home
mood: 
happy
happyBy the time my son turned 2, I was expecting our second child. I was even more determined to wear this baby than I had been with my son. After all, I needed to be able to play with my son after the baby was born. Playing with my son means two hands, two legs, and an alertness that doesn't come easily to a sleep-deprived parent. I made my way to a Boston Babywearers meeting while still expecting so that I could see what the options were besides the ring sling and the Bjorn. I wanted something that would work for many months, maybe even until the baby was walking. I watched the carrier demonstrations with fascination. I knew there were a lot of options, but I didn't realize just how many. I also had no idea that carriers were not nearly as complicated as I thought. I was drawn to stretchy wraps because they looked so cuddly. I was very intimidated by them, thinking that I was not nearly coordinated enough to figure them out. I bought my first wrap, a Gypsy Mama stretchy wrap, a few weeks later.
I practiced wrapping with my son's larger stuffed animals. I looked silly, but I think it worked. At the end of May, I wrapped my daughter for the first time when she was 2 days old. She loved it. I could go just about anywhere with her in the wrap, and she was happy. Other people would comment on how peaceful and quiet she was. I just smiled. I couldn't believe that I actually became a babywearer! As the summer grew hotter, my wrap became less comfortable. I then discovered gauze wraps and bought a Gypsy Mama gauze wrap from a friend. That wrap got us through the hot and humid days in peace and comfort. The time neared for me to return to part-time work, and I wanted my husband to get on board with babywearing so that he would have an easier time caring for both children when I was working. I knew he wouldn't wrap, but I thought I could get him to wear a mei-tai because it looks more "mainstream." I sent him pictures of a few mei-tai carriers a friend was selling. He picked one to try and was sold after trying it at a party. He proudly wears our daughter in a BabyHawk mei-tai when he takes our son to the playground. My daughter just turned 6 months old this month. About 2 or 3 months ago, I started looking for yet another carrier because it was not as comfortable to carry her in the stretchy or gauze wraps as it had been when she was smaller. Another friend was selling a wrap she loved, the Earthy Rainbow Girasol woven wrap. In order to justify my purchase, I sold the stretchy wrap and plan to sell the gauze wrap when the weather gets warmer again.
Hardly a day goes by without wearing my daughter. Wearing her makes life run so much more smoothly. When she hits that slightly fussy time in the late afternoon, I can pop her into the wrap, and she settles long enough for me to get dinner started and sometimes finished. When I need to get both kids to bed on my own, I can wear my daughter while giving my son a bath. Shopping with two kids is easier than I thought it would be because I can buckle my son in a shopping cart and wear my daughter. I have not bought a double stroller because I haven't needed one yet. Wearing my daughter gives me more mobility than I would have if I didn't wear her. The wrap acts as another layer of warmth on those cooler days too. As she begins to express stranger anxiety, she can meet new people more easily because she is close to me and people don't try to take her out of a carrier. She still can doze a bit in a wrap or the mei-tai if she is tired enough, though she does prefer to nap in a crib.
When people tell me they think babywearing is too complicated or that they aren't coordinated enough to figure it out, I laugh. I'm not coordinated or graceful at all. I learned how to wear my baby by asking questions and practicing. I'm still not graceful about it, and yet I manage to do it. I know that anyone can do this if I can.
Good timing
Re: Good timing
http://www.thenewbornbaby.com/bonding-w
You should post some pics while baby-wearing in the different things you have!
I don't have to post the pics because they already are posted elsewhere. :) OK, I'll post here too, but I was sort of excited about the pictures.