Why I Became a Babywearing Believer
As a family, we enjoy getting out of the house on the weekends whether that is heading down the street to our neighborhood park, going on a Costco/Target run, or hitting the road for a day trip to cooler weather.
When Colton was born every Saturday morning he and I would venture out; first with him in his car seat carrier and stroller, and then eventually with me having him ride in the cart at a store. We’d make a stop at Trader Joes to pick up food allergy-friendly items we needed for the house and then go across the street to JoAnn’s to stock up on quilting supplies (a long lost hobby due to time constraints). This schedule worked great, until the day before he turned 10 months old — he learned how to walk. Within a very short time span of learning to walk Colton was no longer satisfied sitting in a cart or stroller – he wanted in on the action or he wanted to be held.
Holding a baby or toddler while also trying to push a cart, manage a shopping list on your phone, and navigate the store is no easy task, even for the most seasoned parent. And let’s be honest, kids are heavy and certainly do not know how to shift their body weight to provide you the most comfortable carrying experience. This was a problem I needed a solution for but I wasn’t sure what the best option would be.
As luck would have it, one potential solution found me. While attending a local Mom’s Blog event I won a Beco Gemini Carrier. At this point in my parenting career, I hadn’t tried any baby carriers and wasn’t sure that a 15-month-old who was used to independence and mom carrying him around would even be willing to try a carrier — but I could tell by the commotion made by the fellow attendees who were vying for the carrier that I’d probably hit the jackpot on prizes that were being raffled off that evening.
When I opened up the carrier the next day I read the printed directions, which had great images to go with; but almost immediately felt overwhelmed trying to decide what type of “carry” I would attempt with Colton. The Beco Gemini has 5 positions you can use depending on the size/age of the child. So I headed to YouTube for answers and a video tutorial of how to set up the carrier. Within 5 minutes of watching videos, I had Colton strapped in for the first time.
Trying out “Baby Wearing” for the first time with Colton at 15-Months-Old
With a trip that included me flying solo with Colton on the calendar less than a month away from when we first tried the carrier, I set a goal to feel confident in getting comfortable with getting him in and out of the carrier without assistance. This meant a lot of practice at home and then eventually venturing out to stores.
When it came to the day we were set to fly, I made sure to check our main bag so I was only having to keep track of my diaper bag and Colton in the terminal. Our first real test of skill was at the Security Checkpoint — no babywearing allowed here. I took Colton out of the carrier, ran it through the x-ray system and picked it and the diaper bag up on the other side. We moved over to an uncrowded area and got situated.
I certainly felt like there were a few eyes on us as I was crisscrossing the straps and latching them together but with a few years of babywearing under my belt now I realize that these onlookers are really people who just are intrigued at how one person can make something that looks so complicated seem easy.
When we finally headed to our plane it was about nap-time, and Colton was a lap-baby for this flight. Once we boarded and I got buckled the flight attendant let me know I’d need to “undo” the carrier for take-off and landing. I had not anticipated that, and it certainly heightened my concern because I was banking on the carrier helping me keep Colton in my lap during these times. Thankfully, I was able to just undo the waist strap and that seemed to meet the criteria for having the carrier unlatched.
30 minutes into the flight, I had reattached the waist strap and we were snuggled up and comfy — so comfy in fact that the “magic sleepy dust” that many babywearing parents talk about took effect! For the first time, Colton actually fell asleep in the carrier.
This trip (almost 5 years ago) was the proof I needed that the babywearing “trend” was something worth learning more about! Since then I’ve even gotten my husband hooked on babywearing. There are so many options to explore and with brands like Beco making Toddler carriers you can extend the babywearing practices well beyond the baby years. Colton, who will turn 6 in December, still comfortably fits in our Beco Toddler Carrier!
Have you tried babywearing? Leave a comment below to share what your favorite carrier or carrying position are!
New to babywearing? Leave your questions below – I would happily do a follow-up post to answer any questions you have.
