Only a few years ago, baby slings were considered quite unusual. You didn't see that many of them out and about. Now YOU SEE THEM EVERYWHERE.
This is really cool, because I think babywearing is good for babes and parents. I think slings and front/back packs are a particularly great way for dads to bond with their infants.
I used a stroller for Henry, because I had never seen or heard of a sling. H enever liked it too much until he could sit up.
Jane LIVED in her sling and then rode around in the backpack constantly after she was a little older. I had a bad back after E was born, so the sling and packs were harder for me to use, but Chris did.
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14 comments:
I saw the tiniest baby I'd ever seen out in public at the Braves game Friday night. He was in a sling and I didn't know which I was admiring more, the perfect bone structure of the baby or the cool-ass sling.
My girl was a total "sling girl" for her first 9-10 months of life.
So cool that you see slings everywhere now! I especially like seeing dads using them, but it also hurts--my husband used the sling until he got a comment about the nice flowery fabric he was wearing, then he quit. :-( Didn't even use it when I bought a more neutral-colored one.
My husband and I wore our sons everywhere, until they were big toddlers. It always made them contented, which made us contented. :-) Wish I'd known about slings back when my daughter, now 23, was a baby.
I am glad they werent around when I had my daughter. all they had was the snuglies that were such a pain in the butt unless you were going on a long hike where you couldnt navigate a stroller or something. now I see these dimbos in the grocery store struggling with a baby hanging from their neck, giving them back trouble instead of using the baby seat the store thoughtfully provides in some of the carriages like they are supposed to. I laugh when they have trouble pushing the cart with a baby in the way because they are just so stupid because they think they are doing something SOOOOO important for their babies mental health when in fact it really doesnt matter.
You know, "anonymous," there is really no "supposed to" about it. Those baby seats are full of germs, for one thing. But no one is making you, or anyone else, use a sling if you don't want to.
For myself, I found mine very useful when I had a newborn and a 13-month-old--one could ride in the sling and one in the stroller or the cart. They are also nice for walks, or for using in the house with a baby who wants to be held, and then your hands are free. A properly worn sling won't hurt your back, either.
actually I have heard a theory, and biologically it makes sense, that the upswing in allergies and asthma (note: this is despite concurrently increasing rates of breastfeeding which is "supposed" to prevent allergies) may be due to us just being so damn sanitary. everything is anti bacterial and we are so afraid of germs and in fact our immune systems it is theorized, then respond to other, more deadly stuff like peanuts and bees. personally I dont sweat a few germies. I have also seen people in the grocery store with little paper covers for the seats in the carts for toddlers so that, god forbid, they dont get a few microbes on them. it reminds of people who are such prisses that they use the paper covers on the toilet seats. or wont even sit down on the toilet seats but instead hover over them (I know this because someone told me they did this and I just could not believe that people actually squatted on public toilet seats so as not to let their flesh touch them) maybe I'm just not very clean but I also am hardly ever sick either.
I found slings like the one pictured uncomfortable to wear when I would be walking for any amount of time. And even in Cambridge, MA where we lived when our son was a newborn, people would push past me and bump the sling. Many expressed shock--"Oh, sorry. Thought it was a purse." Um, ok.
A friend of mine makes gorgeous Mei Teis and wraps.
I loved, loved, loved my Ergo carrier though.(I'd still use it if my son would agree to be worn.) They have excellent customer service too.
I am honest with people-you have to get the hang of wearing them first or you won't use it. I know two people who bought them & never used them. If you aren't wearing it right it will hurt your back. They are very useful for large crowds. It is easier to go through a large crowd with the baby up there than trying to push a stroller past all those people. It doesn't have to be an either/or situation though. I often bring both a stroller and a sling. Srollers are useful because you can keep the diaper bag and any purchases in the bottom and they usually have drink holders too. But my kids often reach a point where they no longer want to just sit there. Then you end up pushing the stroller and carrying the child. If I have the sling too it's not a problem. SAme thing for shopping carts-sometimes the child just gets too antsy in them and wants to be held or breastfeed. Then it's really nice to have the sling to hold them or discreetly breastfeed. And if you don't need to use the sing it can just act as a blanket.
I should add that none of my kids liked strollers, play-pens, or swings. Didn't like being caged in. Oddly enough carseats aren't a problem though. My middle son used to actually pur when I put him in the sling. I have it on video. He really loved it. I never figured out how to use a sling to get chores done though-it always got in the way.
Another anecdote in favor of the practicality of slings and wraps beyond blankets and seat covers:
A couple of friends and I were in a busy restaurant with several toddlers at our table, and not enough highchairs or boosters to go around. My friend who makes her own carriers,used a wrap as a makeshift highchair. (wrapped her daughter with the fabric in an X, and tied her to a regular chair.) Oh, was I envious!
Anonymous, you are right about the germs, and my kids are actually pretty dirty and healthy as well! I menioned the germ thing because it IS an issue for a lot of people.
Karrie, it's true there are so many different kinds of carriers and some are so much more comfortable than others. I got a Bjorn for $2!!! ($80 +) retail at a bag-a-bargain sale, and I found it great for walking with a baby under 20 lbs. I also have Over-the-Shoulder-Baby-Holders and find that they can be uncomfortable. What I really liked this time was my Maya Wrap, which is comfy AND beautiful. But my kids have always liked strollers and the current baby likes walking, so I have not used it much at all since she became mobile.
We get a lot of looks when we sling our baby (now toddler) around places in West Knox, especially Turkey Creek. Mostly from moms with their $200 strollers. Of course, you see many moms there that seem to have babies as fashion accessories.
oh give me a break. I dont know too many people who have babies as fashion accessories. a lot of people once they HAVE the baby cant resist accessorizing it but I really dont think they had a kid just so they could be trendy. I live in a most unhip place, very little of the starbucks crowd and I give people in the grocery a look when I see them slinging their babies because it just looks so awkward, trying to push the carriage with a baby between them and it. it just looks so obvious that they are trying waaaaay too hard to squeeze in every nanosecond of "bonding" time lest thier kiddo be maladjusted.
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