Is there anything better than a new little squishy baby from heaven? I love the smell, the noises, the sighs, the tiny fingers and toes, the bitty ears and nose, the adorable clothes, socks and shoes (although, to be honest – I don’t do baby shoes, they are a pain!! And baby socks drive me bonkers, I can never find a match!). The only thing that would make it better is if I never had to put the baby down. I stand firmly in the camp of “it is impossible to hold your child too much” and “you cannot spoil a baby by holding them when they cry.” I am one of those mother’s that will pick up the crying baby even though I really need to make dinner, or go to the bathroom, or get some rest, or write a blog. Honestly? I’ve been training for this for YEARS. I remember in my early teenage years I practiced cracking open an egg one handed and teaching myself to tie my shoes with one hand, because, you know: a mom only ever has one hand available.

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If you didn’t have equally bizarre ideas when you were a bit younger and now find yourself unable to make scrambled eggs or walking around with untied and thus floppy shoes, have no fear!

Enter babywearing.

Have you ever heard of babywearing? There are facebook groups, youtube channels, community meetups, blogs, and whole industries, all dedicated to the art and options of babywearing. There are so many ways to learn about it and see it in action. Babywearing International is a great place to start and some other places that both inform and sell products are Pax Baby, Sleeping Baby Productions, Littlefrog, Girisol, Kinderpack, Maya Wrap, Moby, HugaBub, and many, many more! And believe it or not, many of these are available on Amazon! Check out the stores Maya Wrap, Moby Wrap, Boba, Baby Ktan, Baby Tula, Lillebaby, Didymos, Action Baby Carrier, and a quick search for baby carrier or baby wrap will bring up even more!

Because I love it and it can seem intimidating in the beginning I just want to give you a quick (eh, quick is always relative) rundown of what it is, things to look for, and a few of the MANY options you have.

Babywearing International says this along with other helpful things:

“Babywearing” simply means holding or carrying a baby or young child using a cloth baby carrier. Holding babies is natural and universal; baby carriers make it easier and more comfortable, allowing parents and caregivers to hold or carry their children while attending to the daily tasks of living. Babywearing helps a new dad put a fussy newborn to sleep. It allows a new mom use both hands to make a sandwich. It lets an experienced parent or caregiver carry a baby on her back and wash the dishes, do the laundry, take a hike, or weed the garden, all while keeping the baby safe and content.

Babywearing does not require expensive purchases (although there are MANY options available and some are eye-poppingly expensive) and is not limited to something you have to buy from a store. With a little bit of home ec experience, the right material and supplies you can make a number of carriers to use for wearing your baby. It does take practice getting the baby in the correct position and until you are comfortable with it you should have someone spot you and the baby or do it over/next to a bed, couch, or other soft surface. There are obviously elements of safety involved and you need to be sure you understand that aspect before you venture a DIY carrier of your own. This is the life of a little baby we are talking about. There are instructions, patterns, videoes, forums, endless numbers of people who can help you along the “sew-your-own” path so I won’t go into any of that here. But! If you are curious and want to get some general information, read on!

Let’s start with the T.I.C.K.S. rule for safe babywearing. “Worn” babies should always be held Tight against the wearer’s body. There shouldn’t be slack in the carrier allowing the baby to slouch down or lean back. Definitely needs to be nice and tight! Although some of these options have a lot of fabric baby’s face should never be covered and should be In view at all times. Front, side, back. The wearer should be able to visually check on the baby. A helpful way to think about positioning is to keep that little head Close enough to kiss. Obviously, when you are experienced enough to wear a baby on your back you probably won’t be able to kiss the top of their little noggin, but by then you are EXPERIENCED!! This positioning helps keep baby high, tight and easily monitored, which is important because you want to be sure to Keep the chin off the chest. This will ensure that their air passage is open and will help reduce the risk of asphyxiation. Keeping baby in view at all times and close enough to kiss also helps to reduce this risk. All these rules work together to keep our little ones safe. Lastly we want to be sure they have a Supported back, typically in a nice “c” curve to maintain optimal spinal position. So: Tight, In view at all times, Close enough to kiss, Keep chin off the chest, and Supported back. TICKS. As with all things, be sure you have done your own research, make sure you know what you are doing and can do it safely. There are so many resources to help with safe babywearing it would be a shame for someone to never try because they feel like they don’t know how, or on the flip side, have someone try it without the proper knowledge only to do it wrong and have devastating consequences. I don’t want to scare you away from it, but I do want to emphasize how important it is to get instruction, understand the mechanics of it, and to do it safely!

Next: The Options. Click to find out the many methods of carrying a baby/child/even a full grown adult – all hands-free!

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