I babywear and I love it! Yes, I said it. I carry my baby; although at 29 months he is not a baby anymore. I love the freedom that using a carrier has given me. There is no waiting for accessible buses, lifts or being restricted to buggy friendly routes (a major plus point living in a Norman built city with lots of steps and cobbles). But, and there is a big but, I am certainly not a “horse-owning type” with “unachievable parenting standards” and my sons are not “permanently attached to me”. I am sorry to disappoint you Lucy. Babies want to be carried. Just watch how a newborn when picked up pulls their knees up and turns feet towards each other; this and the grasping reflex show their biological predisposition to be carried[i].
I’ll be honest. I never thought I would babywear. My husband and I brought a pre-loved carrier from an NCT Nearly New Sale because we thought we might need it to take the dog on his usual Sunday morning long walks. We had to wait 6 weeks after he our first son was born before we could use it because he was too small. By the time he could go in it, I found him too heavy to put in and fasten it alone. The poor dog would sit and look at me wondering if he would ever get his walk. I’d end up giving up and putting my little one in his pram in frustration. I had to find a different solution. That is how I found ‘slings’. YouTube and babywearing forums became my home while I mastered my technique with a simple Mei Tai (ties around adults’ waists and shoulders with fabric panel supporting baby).
My trusty Mei Tai has long since been sold and in the 4 years I have spent carrying I have tried pretty much every type of sling out there; from those with buckles and straps to exclusive one of a kind hand woven wraps, and pretty much everything in between, all equally as safe as each other. I now even run a sling library and work with parents on a daily basis. The variety of slings out there means there is one for everyone. I do not care how people carry their babies as long as they are safe[i] and both parent and baby are comfortable. There is no medical evidence for example that high street carriers are bad for babies hips[ii]. The experiences of running a sling library are that most people want to carry but stop because they find the one they have is uncomfortable. Safety is my only concern. Buckles and straps do not automatically make a carrier safe. Plastic can perish or a buckle trapped in a car door. Most well-known brands of sling will have been safety tested, including many wraps Lucy, to the same standard BS EN 13209-9-2005. User error though of not clicking a buckle into place exists as much as someone not tying a knot securely.
Whenever looking at a sling does it allow baby to be ‘kissable and visible[iii]’ and meet the TICKS[iv] guidelines? If so, use it. Take pride in how you carry your baby. They are only little for such a short time, why not enjoy the cuddles extra cuddles babywearing allows you?
I’ll be honest. I never thought I would babywear. My husband and I brought a pre-loved carrier from an NCT Nearly New Sale because we thought we might need it to take the dog on his usual Sunday morning long walks. We had to wait 6 weeks after he our first son was born before we could use it because he was too small. By the time he could go in it, I found him too heavy to put in and fasten it alone. The poor dog would sit and look at me wondering if he would ever get his walk. I’d end up giving up and putting my little one in his pram in frustration. I had to find a different solution. That is how I found ‘slings’. YouTube and babywearing forums became my home while I mastered my technique with a simple Mei Tai (ties around adults’ waists and shoulders with fabric panel supporting baby).
My trusty Mei Tai has long since been sold and in the 4 years I have spent carrying I have tried pretty much every type of sling out there; from those with buckles and straps to exclusive one of a kind hand woven wraps, and pretty much everything in between, all equally as safe as each other. I now even run a sling library and work with parents on a daily basis. The variety of slings out there means there is one for everyone. I do not care how people carry their babies as long as they are safe[i] and both parent and baby are comfortable. There is no medical evidence for example that high street carriers are bad for babies hips[ii]. The experiences of running a sling library are that most people want to carry but stop because they find the one they have is uncomfortable. Safety is my only concern. Buckles and straps do not automatically make a carrier safe. Plastic can perish or a buckle trapped in a car door. Most well-known brands of sling will have been safety tested, including many wraps Lucy, to the same standard BS EN 13209-9-2005. User error though of not clicking a buckle into place exists as much as someone not tying a knot securely.
Whenever looking at a sling does it allow baby to be ‘kissable and visible[iii]’ and meet the TICKS[iv] guidelines? If so, use it. Take pride in how you carry your baby. They are only little for such a short time, why not enjoy the cuddles extra cuddles babywearing allows you?
References
[1] Kirkilinois, K., ‘A Human infant: a special case’, A Baby wants to be Carried (1992 reprint 2013), p.24-
[1] Tasker, A., Dettmar, P. W., Panetti, M., Koufman, J. A., Birchall, J. P., and Pearson, J. P. (2002). Is gastric reflux a cause of Otitis media with effusion in children? The Laryngoscope, 112:1930–1934.
[1] 7 Ludington-Hoe, S. Kangaroo Care: The Best You Can Do to Help Your Preterm Infant. New York: Bantam Books, 1993.
[1] http://www.slingpages.co.uk/safe-babywearing/
[1] http://sheffieldslingsurgery.wordpress.com/2013/09/19/healthy-hips-busting-some-myths/
[1] http://www.babycarrierindustryalliance.org/babywearing-safety/consumers//
[1] http://babyslingsafety.co.uk/
[1] Kirkilinois, K., ‘A Human infant: a special case’, A Baby wants to be Carried (1992 reprint 2013), p.24-
[1] Tasker, A., Dettmar, P. W., Panetti, M., Koufman, J. A., Birchall, J. P., and Pearson, J. P. (2002). Is gastric reflux a cause of Otitis media with effusion in children? The Laryngoscope, 112:1930–1934.
[1] 7 Ludington-Hoe, S. Kangaroo Care: The Best You Can Do to Help Your Preterm Infant. New York: Bantam Books, 1993.
[1] http://www.slingpages.co.uk/safe-babywearing/
[1] http://sheffieldslingsurgery.wordpress.com/2013/09/19/healthy-hips-busting-some-myths/
[1] http://www.babycarrierindustryalliance.org/babywearing-safety/consumers//
[1] http://babyslingsafety.co.uk/
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