Coffee Chat – BabyWearing

Imagine you just sat down with a bunch of your girlfriends. Coffee (or tea) cup in one hand. No kids around. Just laughter, friends, and good conversation.

Then a few questions come up…

What is (or was) so special about wearing your baby? What’s your fondest babywearing moment?

Because it’s BabyWearing Week you chime in:

• That I could drink my wine and eat chocolate at the same time of course… and give my baby kisses at the same time. That’s what I call major multitasking there. – Staci P.

• When my babies are fussy, and they just want momma, I want to be there to hug and hold them but other duties call i.e. folding laundry, sweeping the floor etc. I liked being able to soothe my needy baby but be productive at the same time. It’s the closest I’ve gotten to growing extra arms! – Jennifer P.

• Toward the end of each pregnancy I couldn’t wait to get the babies out. Between the discomfort of the last few weeks and the excitement to see the little one for the first time I was always ready. But then I missed feeling them inside me and frankly isn’t it easier when they’re in?? Wearing my babies let me enjoy having them as close to me as possible. I could lean down and kiss those sweet heads and they would seem to sleep so sound against my heartbeat. … I could also accomplish a few chores! – Shannon C.

• Letting them see the world from my perspective, but still keeping them safe and snuggled in their favorite spot. Oh, and the ability to drink coffee and soothe a fussy baby at the time, of course. Favorite babywearing moments: seeing Indiana Jones in the theater with a weeks-old E asleep in a sling; walking along the beach in Mexico while N napped in the Ergo. – Jenny F.

• My fondest babywearing memory is our trip to Disneyland when our youngest was 8 weeks old. She was cuddled up in the Moby wrap where no strangers would feel compelled to touch my newborn and I could hold my oldest daughter’s hand while we strolled through the park. – Sharon P.

• One of my favorite experiences babywearing was walking around with Lily in the Ergo at SeaWorld. She was about 5 month old and screaming in the stroller. I put her in the Ergo and she instantly fell asleep. I love the closeness and comfort she and I shared. – Brittany G.

• Um, not fondest but most practical. I used to carry my daughter in a sling on long haul flights. We were landing after like 15 hours on the plane and she acid refluxed up her milk. It was caught completely in the sling and no one was the wiser. I was too tired to do anything about it nor could I because the seat belt sign was on. – Katie D.

• I was so nervous about having baby #2 that I wasn’t going to be able to keep up with my son. Once she came along, and I realized I could wear her everywhere, my whole perspective/attitude changed… and life with two was so much better. Now that I have the twins, I love the opportunity to wear a baby because I don’t get too hold them as much as I’d like. I have found that I held my singletons way more than my twins. I always invite the opportunity to wear one. Sometimes I will leave the double stroller behind, and grab an umbrella and my Ergo instead. The babies love it too and it feels so great to hold them! – Stefanie

• My fondest babywearing moment is seeing my husband’s joy at connecting with the baby in the BabyBjorn. I know it’s viewed as more of a “mom thing,” but he and our son have SO much fun tromping around together. – Chelsea

• Now that I have three kids, and am totally outnumbered, I have no other choice than to put one of them in a carrier. The carrier has become my third hand and protects my sanity — there’s nothing more nerve wracking than three kids running in three different directions. In addition to becoming an appendage, my children instantly calm down when placed in a carrier and I can’t get enough of the random hugs and kisses. One of my favorite moments in babywearing was when my oldest (now nine) was about four years old. Just when I thought he was done riding in the sling, he asked to “sit on my hip”, which was his way of asking to ride in the Maya sling. – Christina (Mommy Loves Coffee)

Check out the last Coffee Chat when we talked about the best part about having kids.