Babywearing Stories
Babywearing Stories
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When I was 16, I had a baby boy. I had high school to finish, which meant buses to catch, and lots of interrupted classes. Being unused to carrying a baby around, especially with my bad back, meant that a 'babypack' was the only answer. My first day back to school after delivering Hap, I tucked him into a 'babypack' and went to catch the bus. I ended up carrying Hap around everywhere in that pack... It was easy, convenient, and because I was breastfeeding in a very public building, discreet when he was hungry. Now, I'm expecting my 3rd child, and that old pack is worn thin: it was also my mom's 'babypack' for when I was a baby 20+ years ago! ...literally changed our lives as a family That LLL leader literally changed our lives as a family, and I will
always be grateful for her calling out to us- "hey, why don't you
try a sling?"
...my husband and I each can wear a twin My comment deals with our newest family members, our 8 month old twin
daughters, Kelsey and Julia.. I recently purchased a second sling,
so my husband and I each can wear a twin, and Emily, now 2 1/2, carries
her doll in a sling. When I go out alone I use a sling for
which ever twin needs to be close at the moment, or needs to nurse, and
I have a twin stroller for Emily if needed, and the other twin. The
biggest benefit to babywearing for us now is the fact that twins
generate a lot of attention everywhere we go, even though I don't dress
them alike. When I have one twin safely snuggled in the sling, it breaks
them up as a unit, and most people don't even realize that that they are
twins. They only see the big sister and the baby, so we still get all the
smiles and coos from people, but usually I can avoid all the curious questions
about the twins- are they identical? Did you have a c-section? Did
you take fertility drugs? How many weeks did you go? etc....
I don't mind the questions, but I think it's nice when each girl
can get a special bit of attention from people without having to be seen
as part of a set. If someone says, what a sweet baby- I don't offer
up her twin for comparison, if they don't see the other one in the sling,
I let her keep the compliment all for herself. Now that warm weather
is coming, I won't be able to hide under a big coat, so obviously everyone
will see two babies, but we'll be slingin' for awhile yet.
My daughter is 26 months old and I still use my sling a lot. She is my fifth but my first real sling baby. Two special uses for my sling stand out, when she was about 10 months old I broke my shoulder. I was unable to lift her or carry her at all for about a week and then I could carry her in the sling if I had help getting her in it, it was invaluable for several months as my shoulder recovered. My daughter was a very late walker, she didn't walk until the week after her second birthday, I used to the sling a lot to carry her as an older non walking toddler. She still doesn't weigh 25 pounds so I carry her easily in the sling. I throw it over the stroller handles:) When we were in Montreal last summer, I caught my sling on something and ripped a big hole in it, a friend mended it for me. There are a couple of other little holes in it to, the tab part dragged on the ground under the stroller one day:( but I love my sling and so does my daughter. I have had a baby trekker and we have a fancy backpack but I only use the sling. I knew I adore my sling, but I didn't realize how many reasons why I love it so much. When Kathleen gets cranky & tired, I can just pull out the sling. As soon as she sees it, she calms down & starts pointing at it while smiling. She has been slung for all of her 18 months of life and still loves to be held when she is tired or a little overwhelmed. The sling is a signal to her that she is going to get held, not for just a moment then put down, but held as long as she wants. Once in the sling she will tuck her soft head under my chin or on my shoulder. She will observe what's going on while recharging, safely tucked next to her mother's body. The sling is also wonderful when she wants to be up on an adult level. There are so many things that we adults do up above the little one's heads. She's a naturally curious toddler and wants to see and learn. I can tuck her in the sling where she can look, point, and ask "washat" (what's that) over and over and over. Another time that I find the sling especially important is in busy crowds. My daughter is beautiful and a real charmer. She is also curious and occasionally wanders. When I put her in the sling, I know exactly where she is because I can feel her. My hands are free to deal with packages, luggage, or doors. I am able to maneuver through crowds and stores much more easily than with a stroller. With her next to my body, I know that she is safe. They are great for trips to public bathrooms. Where to put the baby is always a problem when mom is alone and needs to use a public bathrooms. With a sling the baby baby can be held by mom while her hands are free to take care of business. Slings are wonderful when traveling on public transportation. Kathleen & I recently took a trip. Due to several circumstances, it was just the two of us. We didn't have any help in either airport. I had a baby, a car seat, a suitcase, and a backpack to deal with by myself from the curb of my hometown to the curb of my destination. Using the sling, I was able to manage all of these things, check in, get on and off the plane, and through the airport. My baby was snug and safe where I could see and feel her at all times. The backpack fit comfortably over the sling and my shoulders. I had my hands free to pull luggage and carry the car seat. I used a fanny pack for the items I knew I would need in the airport (tickets, a little money, a diaper change.) Slings double as blankets on the floor or over a sleeping
baby, hankies for runny noses, sun shades over car seats, towels for wet
spots, and so many other things. Slings are indispensable.
I thought babywearing was impossible when we first brought Aida home from the NICU, because of the apnea monitor. It was heavy (10 lbs, which is not a lot for a baby but a lot for dead weight) and came in this uncomfortable case with a shoulder strap that I couldn't adjust well, so every time I bent over to pick up the baby, I had to take care it didn't slam into her head. It was also often connected to the wall (power charging), and the cable between the baby and the monitor was only 10 ft. long -- so I could never get very far away from IT. And then I figured out that a backpack would work just fine. We couldn't see the flashing lights (to which we had grown accustomed, like a crutch), but we could certainly hear the alarm if anything was wrong. I don't know why I didn't figure it out sooner -- brain-dead exhausted mommy syndrome, I guess. I just had to make sure that the battery pack charged overnight, and then I could leave the machine unplugged from the wall all day. I could sling Aida in the front and toss the monitor in the backpack,
and I was free! I could finally move about the house
unimpeded, and go for walks in the soft spring air. In fact, I often
"cheated" by bringing along the stroller -- for the monitor! It was
much more pleasant to carry her alone. :)
I had no idea it would become our most used baby care product. Babywearing has been such a big part of Davan's life, I just don't know where to begin talking about it. She was/is a high needs baby and pretty much lived in the sling from about 1 month to 12 months. If not the sling, then the snuggli-type carrier up to about 4 months. Then, if not the sling, the backpack. Even in the sling, she was often difficult keep happy. We went for a lot of walks, which almost always worked and spent lots of time wandering around the mall looking at interesting (to Davan) things. DH did most of the wearing on the weekends. He started with the front pack, but once he got used to the sling, hardly used it again. Davan went to classes with me from 3 weeks to 9 months and usually slept/nursed through in the sling up until about 6 months. Not that most people knew she was nursing (which is why I got the sling in the first place, I had no idea it would become our most used baby care product). After 6 months, she spent some time playing with toys on my desk, but still a lot of time in the sling sleeping and/or nursing. Davan was the only baby that stayed happy all day.
We still use the sling - at almost 15 months - but not nearly to the
extent that we used to. We use it for chores, but not much else.
She'd rather get to walk while we're out. It's probably just as well
because our sling is pretty ratty from all that use!
We found the "perfect" wrap for my DH to use to wear our DD. Last Saturday we went to a children's clothing/toys/equipment resale. A woman there had the most wonderful wrap. I promptly went home and made one (out of 3 yards of T-shirt material), and went back. Heidi showed us how to wrap Kaylee, and my husband spent most of the rest of the day "wearing" Kaylee around the sale. It was SO cute . We've had trouble getting slings to fit him, but the wrap worked great. As we had twins, I borrowed an extra sling from a friend. We went to very crowded weekend markets and couldn't take the double stroller so I wore Tallara in the mei-tai and Clifford wore Kuyan in the Gerri. They were happy the whole time and we just stopped when it was there feed time. We left our huge babybag at home and Clifford carried a backpack with all baby necessities on his back. I use my sling in the POOL when they are little and still not swimming... it keeps them covered from the sun. Great for keeping a slippery baby close. I can't imagine what it would have been like to go through that experience without our beloved sling! When our daughter Quinn was around 6 months old we needed to rush our 15 year old with abdominal pain/vomiting to the emergency room late at night. We didn't know how long we would be there or what the outcome would be and were of course, terribly stressed and upset over being at the mercy of conventional medicine. I wore Quinn in the sling so she was able to nurse and sleep comfortably and I was able to have both hands free to comfort and support my older daughter through most of our time there. Then baby and I paced the ER waiting area while my husband went along with my daughter to get x-rays. We surprised several doctors and nurses who didn't realize there was a baby "in there". I can't imagine what it would have been like to go through that experience without our beloved sling! We hiked her up mountains... I think the sling was the greatest baby "device" I had - actually with the sling I didn't need much else. My husband and I went for a 9 week trip in Western Canada when Kiera was 3 months old - traveling in a VW van - the only thing we packed for her was a few outfits, cloth diapers and a sling! We hiked her up mountains in the darn thing. I've attached a picture from the teahouse in Lake Louise - we took turns but we carried her all the way up using the sling. I wish she fit into it as easily now - but then as a walking/running toddler she gets herself around most of the time and I only need the sling when she gets tired. The only thing that made me sad was how few other people I met with
babies in slings - people who told me how "restricted" they were with a
baby - cause it was so hard to cart them around! If only they had
worn there babies everyone would be happier. I hope your site converts
lots of people to become "slingers".
We both got what we wanted - exercise and warm contact. My favorite story (don't know if you can use it) involves our sling and my favorite blanket coat. Infants grow faster, heal more quickly and are much less stressed when held skin to skin several times a day Moms and Dads, I know first hand how important it is to be with your child as much as possible. My daughter was born 6 weeks preterm and in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit for 11 long and grueling days. I held her for the first time when she was 6 and a half days old! It was sheer torture for a first time mom. I was finally allowed to breastfeed on day 9 and that was only after I insisted. I held and carried my daughter everywhere for the 19 weeks I was on maternity leave and after that whenever we went out. I never let her sleep in her car seat or even purchased a seat carrier. I didn't see the point. She was most comfortable on my chest next to my heartbeat, which she didn't get for 6 days after birth! The only thing I would change is I would insist that I be allowed to hold her earlier if I had another preemie. I work in the NICU and had my daughter prior to the acceptance of kangaroo care. Kangaroo care is when a parent holds a preemie skin to skin in the NICU regardless of ventilators, oxygen, IV lines etc. The studies show the infants grow faster, heal quicker and are much less stressed when held skin to skin several times a day. So if you have a preemie--HOLD THEM!!!! it will help them get better soon and you give them the best thing you can YOU!!! My Mary is 4 now and still can't wait to sit in my lap, lay with me on the floor, hold my hand or have some type of physical contact with me when we are together. I can't ask for anything better than that. Good luck to all and keep holding your children! It was snowing here, but I was determined that 18 month old Sarafina
and I were going to walk to the post office, about a mile. In she went
to the sling, on went my huge polar fleece coat, and off we went. She nursed
and talked to me all the way there, although I couldn't see her. I could
hear
After we conducted our business, I was re-bundling. An old lady stopped
and said, "Do you have a baby in there?" I pulled the coat back to reveal
Sarafina's little face and proceeded to button the top of my coat. The
lady sputtered, "She's going to smother!" I just laughed and said we'd
already
I never worried about her being too cold or exposed. We both got what we wanted - exercise and warm contact. I also think the sling made Eric feel more competent as a parent earlier.
He could soothe Sarafina to sleep while wearing her. It was almost like
he could mimic the "womb walk" I had.
Cailin obviously was quite attached to her sling and felt like it was a place where she was happy, warm, and protected. When Cailin was about 9 mos. old, I took her to a baby shower for a friend of mine who was pregnant with her first. I had thought about giving a sling as a gift, but had had such short notice for the shower that I didn't have time. So I went with the Sears Baby Book instead. In the course of the party, everyone was discussing the "must haves" for a new baby. I said that a sling was absolutely indispensable. This comment drew a lot of "what's a sling?" responses, so I offered to demonstrate. I went out to the car and got my sling and showed everyone all the different ways you could carry a baby in it (demonstrating with Cailin, of course). Kristin (the mom to be) asked to try it out. I handed it to her and she slipped it on. Cailin immediately crawled over to her, pulled up on her legs, and begged to be picked up and put into the sling. Keep in mind that this was the first time Cailin had ever seen Kristin, and at 9 mos. was going through stranger anxiety. But it was HER sling, and she knew it, and she wanted to be in it. Kristen picked her up and put her inside it, where Cailin happily sat. When Kristin took it off, another pregnant mom wanted to see it. When it was passed to her, Cailin did the same thing...crawled to her and wanted to be placed in the sling. Everyone was so amazed. They said it was the best advertisement for any baby product they had ever seen, because Cailin obviously was quite attached to her sling and felt like it was a place where she was happy, warm, and protected. :-)
I broke my ankle at work 2 weeks before my son Spencer's first birthday. He had taken his first steps just a few days before I broke my ankle. So the next few months were a very difficult time for us. The break in my ankle was a very bad one, requiring surgery to install a plate and a few pins; I was not to put any weight on it for the 8 weeks I wore the cast, and then I started physiotherapy to "re-learn" how to walk, all during the time that Spencer was learning to walk holding someone's fingers. We had family help for a few weeks, then we hired someone to nurse me and make lunches for Spencer and I, but we could only afford that for a few weeks, and I found myself at home alone with Spencer day after day. I used crutches to walk for several months, and after that, a cane. In fact, it wasn't until about 5 or 6 months after the initial accident that I could walk without the cane, and then it was fairly slowly, and with a limp. (The orthopedic surgeon predicted I would always have a limp, but I'm happy to tell you he was wrong.) One of the most tragic things about the timing of the accident was that
I was unable to help Spencer learn to walk. I couldn't pick him up
while I was stuck in bed, and I missed holding him as much as I was used
to. Here's where the sling comes in. It was the only way to
safely get a toddler from A to B while using crutches. When I started
getting sick of the 4 walls in my living room, once I had started to improve,
I would pack the backpack/diaper bag, stick Spencer in the sling on my
front, and slowly crutch my way out to the car and drive to the drop-in
center, where I would set him down, and he would careen madly off to play
with the toys there.
Later, I used the baby backpack and the cane for longer walks such as when I visited my grandfather in the hospital after he broke his hip. I got a lot of amused and admiring looks as we slowly made our way through the hallways of the hospital, but a mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do. I have 3 slings, now. One stays in the car, and the other two alternate in the house. I love having more than one because then I don't panic if one gets dirty. I never leave the house without a sling. I have a Baby Trekker, too, now, for longer jaunts, but I find it a pain getting on and off, and it's harder to just wear it when there's no baby in it, you more or less have to carry it in your hands. I wore a sling as an accessory for 3 years with Spencer; just flung it over my head getting out of the car, so I'd have it when I needed it. I can think of one other time when I was so thankful I had my sling.
This summer I flew from Toronto to Thunder Bay with Spencer to visit a
friend. I only stayed 2 nights so I just took a carryon bag on wheels
(and a smaller child's one for Spencer). I was 7 months pregnant
and Spencer was a little over 3 years old then. I didn't want the
hassle of a stroller, but I knew that often the Thunder Bay flights arrive
in Toronto in an area where you have to walk a very long way to the exit,
and I worried that Spencer might fall asleep at an inopportune time.
And sure enough, he was very difficult during the flight, then fell asleep
during landing so that he was completely comatose during debarking.
So I put him in the sling, clipped his carryon bag to mine, and managed
quite nicely to get off the plane and out to my dh's waiting car.
It was a bit of a struggle, but way better than dealing with a stroller,
and like I said, if I hadn't needed it I would have just worn it as an
accessory and not had excess carryon luggage.
My Father bought my first 'baby pack' for me in 85. My daughter was traveling with me to Japan and he wanted to be sure I wouldn't lose her!! I began daycare when she was one and also had my second child in 87. I wore every young child that I cared for or gave birth to from 85 till now, a total of 40 babies and three of my own! I still have that baby pack and If I am lucky, my husband and I will have a baby next year, I might actually try a new pack, one gentler on my aging body but I will have to wear my new baby in that old pack that is full of love. You had asked for photos of babywearing a while back. This is of me and Kira at 9 mo when we were setting up our used children's boutique. We ran it as a family and I loved my sling! I sold a lot too! Now I'm on baby #3 Stephen and still a big believer in baby wearing. My oldest has JRA (arthritis) and I still use the sling to carry her when I need to. |
