Why I wear my baby.

I am a big fan of babywearing.  Huge.  I can't imagine how someone can take care of a baby without wearing them.  Boggles the mind.  I wear my baby everywhere; the doctors office, grocery store, airport, park, restaurants, my kitchen.  Everywhere.  Heck, I even wear her to the bathroom.

I'm using a Moby wrap with the baby when she was only 7 weeks old.

What is babywearing you may ask?  It is simply holding or carrying your baby or child with a cloth carrier.  There are many different kinds of carriers.  I personally have used a wrap, structured carrier and a pocket/pouch.  I find that different carriers work better for different ages.

In no particular order here are some of my reasons for babywearing:

• Keeps my baby close to me which helps with her attachment.
• Frees up my hands to get things done.
• Helps her get to sleep when we're out and about.
• Helps her calm down when she is fussy.
• Helps her feel safe when we are out and about, as she is in a cocoon if you will.
• I know exactly where she is and what she is doing (hard to tell sometimes in the stroller).
• It is easier at times than lugging around a car seat and/or stroller.

When my babies were newborns I favored pouches or wraps.  This is my firstborn in a Peanut Shell pouch at one week old.  I used the pouch all the time until she was about 7 months old or so.  It was very convenient to put in the diaper bag and pull out when we'd get to a grocery store.  She especially loved facing out and looking at everyone.  The main downside to the pouch was it put pressure on my shoulder which made it uncomfortable for long periods of wearing.

  Another favorite carrier with the littler ones is a wrap.  Wraps are long pieces of fabric that you wrap around with the baby tucked inside against your body.  It takes a bit of practice and a good photo step-by-step guide to get it right.  In this photo I'm wearing a gypsy momma wrap that is also suitable for use in water.  It is lightweight and easy to wrap.  I wore it when we went to Yosemite.  

I used that same wrap with my first born when we toured Antelope Canyon when she was around 10 months old.

Once the baby got a little bigger we switched to my Beco structured carrier and I haven't gone back to anything else.  It is easy to get on and off (has straps and snap in buckles to fasten), very comfortable and a bit stylish. ;)  I am always getting comments and questions about my Beco.  

Last month I posted here about a free child size Beco carrier (offer has expired though).  I was able to get one for my daughter to use to wear her baby dolls or stuffed animals.  She was thrilled to be able to have one just like momma.  We are too cute together when we're both wearing our Beco carriers (if I do say so myself).

I am grateful to have a community of friends that also babywear.  We all hang out together at the park, zoo, restaurants and homes wearing our babies. 

Just this morning I read a powerful article on fierce mamas about a woman who saved her baby's life by babywearing.  Now that's amazing!

So do you babywear?  What are your favorite carriers?