The Ultimate Wrap on Wearing My Baby!

When I was preparing for my daughter's birth my friend Joanie sent me a wonderful book, The Vital Touch by Sharon Heller. In it I learned how essential touch was for a small baby and it was recommended that a baby be "worn" as close to the parent's skin as often as possible. It had never occurred to me to wear my baby! I figured that I would get a stroller and all sorts of other baby toting accessories and everything would be great. After reading this book an ah ha moment clicked for both my husband and I. We wanted to have our girl close to us. Baby wearers we would be!

We were so excited about the idea that we went out and acquired a large variety of baby carriers. I'm not sure if we were looking for the ultimate baby carrier or if we were just eager to buy something. You see, at the time we were living in a VERY small apartment in San Francisco so all the large and beautiful nursery items we coveted were just not going to be a reality. However, baby wraps and carriers, particularly the cloth varieties, were very small so we felt we could stock up.

Wrapping her next to us also turned out to be an incredible convenience. We didn't need to carry a whole bunch of baby stuff because our baby was being ported right on us! As I mentioned, we were living in San Francisco when she was first born so we could hop on and off cable cars, climb big hills, wander narrow paths and never worry about run away strollers or having a free hand.

This baby wearing became a way of life for us. So much in fact, we never bought a stroller that whole first year. We finally did pick one up, second hand at a garage sale, because Sweets did like to climb into her friend's strollers at the park but it wasn't until she was more then two that it become a standard conveyance for her. Given her druthers Our girl would always choose "Uppa Uppa" over any other means of travel.

When I watch a mom struggle with twenty pounds of baby gear I have this urge to run over to her and give her a baby wrap. Even at age three I can tote my girl easily if she is tired or just wants to be close to me. Baby wearing is also hands free!! Your child is safe and you can actually get change out of your wallet, carry a drink or caress their cheek all without worry.

Flash forward and my three year old still requests to be wrapped on a fairly regular basis. We don't always bring a stroller because at three she mostly prefers to walk (or run!) but when she gets tired or just wants a little attention she asks for an "Uppa Uppa." She even still uses her baby-speak term for it. As you might guess because of the great maternal bond we have, (demonstrated even more if you visit the scroll at the top of The Everyday Mommy Blog) my daughter does not have any difficulty with communicating but when she wants to be carried she is once again my little baby. At 30+ pounds she isn't the easiest thing to tote but nevertheless I try to oblige as much as possible. As we segue away from daily baby wearing I am certain the closeness it has fostered has laid an incredible groundwork for our future relationship.

My daughter is fearless and very independent and I contribute much of this to the great paternal and maternal bonds that were developed during her baby wearing years. My husband and I both LOVED baby wrapping. So much that we would even quarrel about "who's turn" it was to wear the baby.If you have a baby or can borrow one for a while (speaking to grandparents here! LOL) then I highly recommend you find your favorite baby carrier and join us!