What is Babywearing?
Babywearing is the practice of carrying your baby (or even your toddler) up against you with the assistance of some sort of sling, wrap or other type of carrier. While babywearing has gained popularity more recently, it’s been practiced for many years in countries all over the world.
Depending on the carrier you could carry your baby in front of you (either facing in or out), at your side/hip, or even on your back. That is one of the great things about babywearing… there are so many different ways to babywear that there’s something for everyone.
The important part is that once you decide to babywear you need to take the time to learn as much as you can about how to do it safely. I can’t stress that enough. You want to be absolutely sure that you are not only protecting your baby but that you’re protecting yourself as well.
Why Practice Babywearing?
Well, I think it probably depends on who you ask. When we adopted our son at 6 weeks old we had read all about the importance of early bonding and attachment. We knew all the things we wanted to do in order to build up that parental bond as quickly and securely as possible, and babywearing was one of those things. We knew that babywearing would help us in building a strong relationship with our new son because we would be able to have him close to us for extended times and he would be able to hear and feel our hearts and our breaths. We also knew that babywearing had other medical and emotional benefits.
Popular Types of Baby Carriers
There are many different types of carriers, and every type of carrier can come in a variety of fabrics. So to find out the best ones I asked Cathy Brant, one of the educators from our local babywearing group, Babywearing in Columbia, SC. Cathy said, “If you ask 10 people what their favorite carrier is, they will give you 10 different answers. Whenever I get that question, I like to say that carriers are like jeans. You and your best friend wear the same size pants but because of the differences in your body, the jeans will look different.” So here is an introduction to three of the more popular carriers you might have heard about.
Ring Slings
A ring sling is a long piece of hemmed fabric with two rings attached to one end. The tail (end without rings) of the fabric is threaded through the rings creating a kind of hammock for the baby. Once the baby is in place you adjust the rings and fabric until baby is nice and close to you in a safe and secure position.
Ring slings can be purchased in a variety of lengths and fabrics to accommodate your baby based on things like age and size. Usually, you’ll want to stick with a softer, more lightweight fabric for newborns and small babies and then upgrade to thicker, more durable fabric as they get bigger and have more trunk control.
PROS: Great for quick carries as it doesn’t take a lot of time to adjust. Can be inexpensive. Allows you to front, hip, or (for seasoned babywearers) even back carry.
CONS: Really difficult to find in stores (but lots of options online). May need more adjustments for longer carries. Can be uncomfortable to wear on one shoulder all the time, so switching shoulders is sometimes recommended.
Wraps
A wrap is simply a long piece of fabric that is wrapped around you and your baby in a way that provides a safe and secure carry. Some wraps are woven, some are hybrids, and some are really stretchy.
Stretchier wraps (like Boba’s and Moby’s) are made of a jersey material and great for newborns and small babies. Woven wraps and hybrid wraps are made from a variety of fabrics and can be used with newborns all the way up through toddlerhood. The great thing about wraps is that they are completely adjustable to you and baby for optimal comfort.
PROS: So many options in regards to fabrics, lengths, and even the types of carries you can do. Work really well for longer carries. Super comfortable!
CONS: They have the biggest learning curve and take the most practice to get right. You can’t do all types of carries with all lengths of wraps. It can be a lot of fabric to work with.
Soft Structure Carriers (SSCs)
SSCs are similar to a backpack in style and, depending on the carrier, can be worn on the front and/or back. They are comprised of straps and buckles that keep baby close to you. There are a lot of different styles to choose from to fit your families needs.
PROS: Often the easiest to learn to use and to find in retail shops. Many have the ability to both front and back carry. Great for short or long carries.
CONS: Only allow for so many adjustments, so you may end up sacrificing some comfort. Some SSCs will need an insert added for newborn babies. Can be difficult for parents or caregivers to share a single SSC because of having to adjust the sizing.
How Do I Learn More?
Overwhelmed yet? Don’t worry, there are people waiting to help you!
The absolute best place to get started on your babywearing journey is by attending a meeting with your local babywearing group. These groups have a ton of resources available that most people don’t even know about. They have trained educators who run the meetings and their whole purpose is to teach you all about babywearing!
They are ready and willing to guide you, one-on-one through how to use your carrier. Meetings are drop-in style, so no worries if you can’t stay the whole time. Be sure to bring baby with you so you BOTH can get in some practice time! These meetings are great for those that are new to babywearing and for those who are experienced but looking to try out something new or learn more.
Meetings are FREE, but you can choose to become a member and then you’ll have access to their entire library of carriers to check out from! Some people like to use this option as a “try before you buy” to see if they like a carrier before they buy one. Others, check out a carrier every month and never buy their own carrier.
Check out Babywearing in Columbia, SC on Facebook for more information about local meetings. Thank you to Cathy Brant for sitting down with me and answering all my babywearing questions!
