“I’m mom of a 22 month old and a 5 week old. I only wrap my 5 week old. What I love about wrapping is that i can keep my baby so close in an extremely comfortable and natural way. Not only does it keep baby close and free my hands, but it also keeps my baby feeling calm and secure and soothes him when he’s upset.” ~Jacqueline
Connie graciously allowed me to share her Facebook post to friends from earlier this month:
Why do we babywear?
For my child with cerebral palsy, babywearing allows him to engage with the world when he was a non-walking toddler; now he walks with orthotics, but tires easily, the carrier allows me to offer him rest and respite.
For my child with ASD, the snug hold of a carrier helps him to organize and calm down when he feels overwhelmed and in need of refuge.
Babywearing allows our children to be fully engaged in the world. We take them places that strollers cannot go, we show them the world that we see. My child who cannot walk without his braces can still go up a mountain, or down to the edge of the sea. My child who gets over-stimulated can still participate in our family and friends’ celebrations and be a part of the community.
One of the fears I have as a mother to special needs children is that their world will be smaller and dimmer than I’d hoped for them. Babywearing helps me to combat that, to write a different future for them, in a world where they know, from the beginning, that they belong.
I know you love wrapping your baby: the closeness, the connection, and the convenience! AND it’s so pretty! And mastering the different wrap carries is fun and makes you feel a sense of accomplishment!
Naturally, you want to share this amazingness with EVERYBODY. But does everybody want to hear? Are you just turning everybody off of babywearing with your enthusiasm?
Mandy is a pediatric nurse. She doesn’t work in NICU so hadn’t had experience before with a baby going through withdrawal, but as a babywearing mother, when she found herself responsible for a distraught baby, she knew what she could offer him for comfort! When she shared this in our local babywearing group, I felt fit to burst with emotion: compassion for the baby and mother and also a deep gratitude for the ability to comfort babies with the simplicity of human touch; for the good fortune to know how important this is for babies; and for Mandy to be working when this little one needed that. Mandy reported that the other nurses were continuing to wear the baby so that he was not left adrift when she went home.
In Mandy’s own words, “I’m a pediatric nurse and had a baby going through withdrawal. I made a makeshift sling out of some baby blankets and “wore” him as much as I could. It was the only thing that consistently calmed him down! Wear ALL the babies, even the ones who aren’t our own!”
Summer babywearing in Florida means knowing how to keep everyone comfortable in a baby carrier in hot weather.
Let me show you some cooler carries to use with your wraps and give you tips for surviving hot weather wrapping so you don’t have to stay in-doors all Summer!
Walking Mums offers Intro to Babywearing Walks for trying out different kinds of carriers
Motherhood is an experience that is unique to each of us yet there are certain experiences that many of us have in common. That’s why other moms can be the best allies and friends and help to keep us sane and make us happy.
Jay (founder of the organization) understood that because she felt the absence of that “village” of moms when her baby was born and out of necessity Walking Mums was born.
Wrapped up in a Barefoot Rainbow wrap while dancing barefoot with the Bomba drum.
Sometimes I hear that wrapping is too hard. It has a steep learning curve. There is even a popular meme circulating that begins with “Dear New Wrapper” and promises that as terrible and frustrating as it is to learn to wrap, it will all be so worth it.
I disagree. Wrapping doesn’t have to be hard.
I get emails all the time from parents who just received their wrap, tried it on and LOVED IT. And that’s what I want to happen every time I ship a wrap.
But it is not uncommon for a parent to try a wrap for the first time and end up with a big mess. Baby crying, wrap not supporting them, back hurting . . . what went wrong?
Read More
photo by Petal & Vine Photography
Tatyana relates her experiences with farm babywearing – wrapping her babies and toddlers as she and her husband Frank, always adventurous, embark on the adventure of farming:
With two babies 13 months apart, babywearing has saved my sanity way too many times! Me and my husband met hiking the Appalachian Trail, so backpacking is what we love the best. Only when babywearing your load is much more precious than a load of camping equipment. Read More
This toddler back carry comes with a built in cup holder. Can be used as a bottle holder for the younger set.
Yesterday the Canadian Babywearing School posted this Facebook status update:
Do you know that there are NO benefits to babywearing? It’s the biological norm and being carried and kept close is the minimum babies expect at birth. When we use language like “benefits”, we establish babywearing as a nice extra (like a university fund or tennis lessons) instead of the normal behaviour that carrying is. Change our language, change the world!
Wrapping moms know that life can carry on (pun intended) with baby in tow and that the experiences had in a wrap enrich baby’s physical and cognitive growth far more than sitting on the sidelines.
Wrapping your baby is a great way to keep both mother and baby in fine physical fettle and any gentle activity will be comfortable and soothing to your wrapped baby. Bonus points for a fun activity that gives mom an opportunity to build community and engage with grown-up friends!
Ballet Instructor describing how the mothers in the babywearing ballet class should point their feet as they arabesque across the room.
Folding chair were used when the standing bars were all filled up.
You can use any safe and ergonomic carrier for a babywearing dance or fitness class, although wraps are the most flexible both in terms of lack-of-structure and ability to customize the carry to compliment your activity and body preferences!
Babies are soothed by being wrapped against you during the motion of your day, so why not do something fun and artistic as well as active while your baby snoozes?
Mothers and babies practicing ballet walks across the room. Wrapsody Breeze wraps are light and cool, perfect for active families with babies.
Baby watches the class from mama's back in a Double Hammock Carry as she demonstrates a Second Arabesque.
A snug wrap job in Wrapsody Breeze Ada keeps baby secure while practicing curtseys.
Elizabeth Bedore, our talented Babywearing Ballet Instructor, wearing Wrapsody Breeze Kimber.
Most of the wraps used in this class were Wrapsody Breeze wraps which are so light and thin that they are much appreciated here in Florida, and also lend themselves expertly to work out activities.
Most of the mothers have their babies wrapped in either a Double Hammock Back Carry or a Front Wrap Cross Carry variation. Any secure carry will work. A back carry is most convenient for bending and raising legs but front carries should be used by anyone not already a competent back wrapper and it is easy for a babyweaing instructor to adjust the class to fit the needs of the moms. A knowledgeable instructor will keep the motions of the class gentle and smooth, and advise mothers not to overreach while doing the double workout of ballet and babywearing.
Back carries wrapped a little lower rather than super-high on mom’s back may be more convenient for an activity such as this and keep you better balanced.
Palm Harbor Florida is lucky to have a mom-owned business dedicated to bringing fitness and community to moms in a family oriented environment. If you are in the area you will want to visit Om Sweet Om and discover all the classes available.
If you are anywhere else in the world, find your local babywearers and see if you can find a qualified individual who wants to start a class!
The best wrapping times involve baby in family traditions while freeing up enough of mama’s attention for the other children to get full mileage out of all the holiday fun!
So without further ado . . .
Tips:
Remember this is about fun with your kids - not efficiency!
Picking which cookie to decorate is part of the fun!
If you make your own frosting, you can get squeeze bottles at arts and craft stores in the cake decorating aisle or tie-dye section.
Definitely re-use the excess sprinkles or you'll go through your sprinkles in no time!
Plan to let them have one right away!
Of course it is better to give than to receive so encourage generosity, too!
Picture Perfect - Merry Christmas!
Annabelle was born on Christmas Day in 2009
Speaking as someone who birthed a baby girl in my living room in front of a decorated tree on Christmas Day 5 years ago, I can tell you that some gifts are better than others. Nothing trumps a sweet, apple-cheeked baby!
Another in my series of themed costumes for babywearers. This post highlights costumes with the baby as an inanimate objects. You would be surprised at the possibilities when you start brainstorming, and hopefully the pictures of these creative families will get the wheels turning for you! And be sure to submit a photo of your babywearing costume to my contest to possibly win a wrap!
17 more great babywearing costume ideas for all those families who want to incorporate their baby and carrier into their costumes for extra Halloween fun!
Did you see the creative, adorable, and DARLING ANIMAL COSTUMES submitted by babywearers HERE?
And don’t miss these amazing photos of BABYWEARING CHARACTER COSTUMES!
It’s time for the annual Babywearing Halloween Costume Contest on the Wrap Your Baby facebook page!
Share your photos on the wall between Wednesday 29 October and Monday 3 November, and and I will upload them to the contest album where we’ll see which photo gets the most likes for a free wrap from my store!
Voting (liking) will go from 4 November to 6 November and the winner will be announced on Friday 7 Nov. The winner is responsible for contacting me as I will have no way to get in touch with those who entered. Check for a winner on 7 November and PM or email me if it was you!
PLEASE NOTE: Outfits and traditional clothing from different cultures are not costumes but traditional dress. To avoid any one feeling that their culture is being misrepresented I kindly ask that you refrain from depicting any specific culture and/or nationality or subculture.
You can find more than 50 great costume ideas on my Babywearing Costume Pinterest Board or my recent blog posts sharing Babywearing Animal Costumes Fantasy/Sci-fi Babywearing Costumes and Character Costumes for babywearers.
Go get inspired and start creating! Let’s have some fun!
Each month I give at least one wrap to a Babywearing Group Lending Library. For September I asked groups to send me a photo of babywearing in front of a landmark in their region, or something that epitomizes the region. Today, for Share Your City Saturday (International Babywearing Week), I am sharing some of the photos that were submitted and announcing winners! Scroll to the bottom for winners and enjoy all of the photos along the way!
Babywearing in cities across the globe:
Babywearing with the Kelpies in Falkirk in Scotland – a landmark that represents the engineering famous to this area particularly on the canal and that arts which are a big part of Scottish history. The kelpies were completed last year in celebration of the canal and the renewed industry around them created by the opening of the Falkirk wheel in earl 2000s. From the Forth Vally sling meet.
Babywearing Fitness guest post by Blair Williams, Yoga Instructor and babywearing mother of two. Want to learn more about Yin? BlairWilliamsYoga@gmail.com or Facebook- Blair Williams Yoga, LLC.
