When my daughter was born, she wanted to be held every minute. Any removal of baby from hip led to major insistence on her part that she wanted me to pick her up again, and do it NOW, please. I knew that when she got older, I’d crave this connection again, but boy, at the time it was a bit overwhelming!
Of even those of us who aren’t fond of hugs get rather gooey over our own little ones. So I held her. And I held her. My arms got sore. My wrists started to hurt. I got a traditional front carrier, but then my shoulders started to hurt. When she was about 20 lbs and could hold her head up well, I decided that it was time to look into baby carriers that would distribute the weight a little better and let me carry her on my back. I entered the vast world of soft baby carriers.
I fell in love.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be featuring soft baby carriers on the baby blog. Some of these are the more traditional pouch and ring slings, while others are new takes on carriers that have been part of different world cultures for eons. These include the mei tai or Asian baby carrier and variations on wrap-style baby carriers.
Babywearing can be a delight. It’s a way to stay close to your baby while you go out for a walk, do housework, or …dare I say…hang out online. A sling provides a safe and cozy place for a baby to nap, and you never need to check the baby monitor. Your child is right there with you. In fact, the sling was the only place my daughter would nap for a few months when she was very tiny. I like to think that the rhythm of me walking with her in the sling was similar to what she felt before she was born.
Slings are also wonderfully portable. You can stuff a small one into a diaper bag or a day pack. I remember going on a train trip with my daughter, then two. She desperately needed a nap. I took my carrier from my pack, put it on, put her into it, and bounced her to sleep with the movement of the train. Several people who walked by commented on how they couldn’t believe that a carrier like that could fit into my day bag.
I do think that slings should come with a warning. As you and your child grow together, it’s possible to become obsessed with the best sling for the moment. I think that my collection grew to three or four that were used for different sorts of occasions – backpacking, quick ups and downs around the house, and the carrier that I could throw into my backpack and roll into a very small ball.
I hope that you enjoy your adventure into the world of slings, and please check back over the next couple of weeks as I explore different types of baby carriers.
What are your favorite slings and baby carriers, and why?