Dad’s Adventures in Babywearing
March 20th, 2008 . by 21st Century Dad
Renee and I became babywearing enthusiasts out of our quest to maintain the highest level of productivity possible. What I didn’t anticipate was how much extra closeness that it fosters.
We do things very counter-intuitively in the U.S. Babies are weaned off the breast by 6 months and potty training doesn’t start until age 2. Attachment parenting practitioners start potty training by 6 months and continue breastfeeding for 2 years.
Most of the baby carriers available have a feminine design aesthetic. Some can be made masculine with a different choice of fabric print, such as soft structured carriers and mei tais. The ring slings, moby wraps, and pouches are more feminine to me.
Baby carriers come in a variety of designs. You will have to try them on for yourself to see which ones work best for you. Try meetup.com or Yahoo! Groups to find a babywearing meeting in your area. At such meetings, you’ll be able to try on a wide variety of carriers and get expert instruction on how to properly wear them.
It wasn’t long before I discovered that the Ergo Baby is my favorite. It’s a soft structured carrier. Renee’s DIY Scandi-style Mei Tai is challenging for the top spot. That’s what I’m using in the picture above.
The fun doesn’t have to end when your infant becomes a toddler. I’ve seen children as old as 4 being worn in a carrier.
There are many benefits of babywearing. Even if you don’t believe in attachment parenting, there are pragmatic considerations.
- You have two hands free.
- No need to navigate a bulky stroller in crowded areas.
- It’s much safer than putting the infant car seat in the shopping cart.
- Managing multiple children becomes easier.
Give babywearing a chance. If your wife has been the sole baby wearer, she may have one or more carriers with a feminine design. Get over your machismo. At least try it in the safety of your own home. You may end up liking it enough to get a carrier of your own.
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when i had my babies, there were no baby wears yet. today, they all come in handy and are available in many designs and colors.
Yay! A babywearing Daddy! I tried to get my husband to babywear, but it never seemed to work out. He was always happy to carry the munchkins though, even without the carriers.
I could never get mine to settle down in one of those things… never happy about being strapped to me… lol…
Nice write up - I’ll be ordering me a baby carrier for our daughter due in July. We’ll have to have on this time since our first daughter will be almost 3! We’ll need all the hands we can get.