Wearing Natasha!

I have to admit, when I first saw a baby being "worn" years ago,
I wasn't so sure of the whole deal.

It seemed a little... "far out."
I mean, what is wrong with a stroller? Or, you know, just holding the baby?
I didn't think about it for some time, but when I found out I was pregnant,

it suddenly became more relevant to my life!
I did a lot of reading and corresponding with a real momma who wears her babies,
and after a while I decided that wearing your baby maybe wasn't so far out after all.
(Or else, I decided I didn't care about being...far out!)
So even before our baby was born, I knew I wanted to "wear" my baby.


I discovered that wearing your baby/child is not only beneficial to the parents but the baby as well. An infant wants to be close to its momma; to feel something familiar like her heartbeat. A baby wants to take in everything new and see everything Mom is doing. A toddler wants to be in on the action, but can't walk yet.

What do you do if your brand new infant won't stop crying unless she's held? Ever tried shopping with a crying baby in a car seat, precariously propped in a cart? How many moms have attempted to cook one-handed with a baby on your hip? Or wished they could do some yard work, but can't leave the baby in the house alone to nap?


Here's when babywearing shows its stuff.
You can carry your baby and do what you need to do, all at the same time!

I have three carriers, and I love each one for different reasons.


When Natasha was just a wee lil thing,
(and before the heat of summer made us melt,)
I used a moby wrap.
It is a perfect snuggly carrier.
There were numerous times when Natasha simply wouldn't settle down any other way than in the moby. Something about her being all cozy, close to my heart and she would immediately fall asleep.
Ah....!









I can't tell you how much I LOVE the mei tai. I mainly use it for back carries. It distributes Natasha's weight so well, and I can easily do household chores very quickly. I just strap her on, and zip around straightening the house, or doing whatever. I have trimmed bushes, cooked supper, picked green beans, swept the house, picked raspberries, hung up laundry, and countless other household tasks, all with Natasha riding with me. (By the way, this is the only carrier Daniel uses. I think it's because it looks somewhat, "manly".)



A ring sling has become my favorite shopping accessory. I really don't know what I would do without it for running errands at Meijer, going to garage sales, or even eating out! It is so easy to pop Natasha in and out in between stores, tighten the fabric, and away we go!

One instance that makes me smile, is when I was at a MOPS meeting. Natasha was on my hip in the ring sling and she sat happily there while all us moms went off to get our breakfast. I was not only able to dish up my own plate, but help serve another mom since she was holding her baby in one arm. All while Natasha watched, from her little spot on my hip.



Oh and another time it came in very handy: Ever been to "BD's Mongolian Buffet"? It's the kind of place where two hands are really helpful. Extremely helpful, that is. Daniel and I were able to eat there recently, all with the help of the ring sling, where Natasha rode just fine while we went through the buffet line.

So, to sum all this up, I love wearing my baby.
I don't know how I would be a momma without it!
For one main reason:
I can keep my baby close, while doing things I love.


Unfortunately, the CPSC is trying to "make us safe" by intruding into our lives. They want to put regulations on babywearing, just like they have on cribs and just about everything else baby related. We don't need the government to tell us how to raise our children. I encourage you to stop over at the Baby Carrier Industry Alliance's facebook page to read more more about the action we need to take. Also, please check out the recent update on the CPSC trying to recall baby carriers, here.









Because...I want all mommas to be able to keep
their baby close to their hearts. :)










Comments

  1. Janel - you are such a beautiful soul! Natasha is so lucky to have such a nurturing and attentive mother :) I am bringing in my "pouch" for you at Thurs. MOPS.

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  2. I love all your carriers! And I'm totally with you that there are different carriers for different situations! I have 1 that I use daily, 1 that I use several times a week, and 1 that is my backup. When Charlotte was a baby, I had 2 totally different carriers that I used pretty exclusively (moby and pouch). When people ask me what *one* carrier they should get as an "all-purpose" carrier, I have a hard time answering!

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