I’d like to share with you why I chose baby carriers over strollers whenever possible with both my kids.
But I wanted to make this more than a personal story.
So I’ve organized this article to cover probable reasons for babywearing among four major groups individuals likely to be weighing whether or not to choose a baby carrier. Who should read this?
- Expectant parents awaiting the birth of their first child.
- Parents who didn’t use a carrier with their first child and are about to welcome their second child into the family.
- Parents who have recently brought home their newborn and haven’t given much thought to how they’ll transport their baby.
- Caregivers of infants in an institutional (day care) setting.
My Story: How I Accidentally Acquired a Small Fleet of Carriers
By the time my son was four months old, we had more baby holders than he had months. I do not recommend this.
Flashback to November of 2003. For about the sixth time, my mother is asking me if I’ve registered at the big box baby store yet. When I finally did, my husband unwrapped our Baby Bjorn and Moby Wrap on Christmas morning.
May 2004. Not until Nolan, our little boy, was six weeks old did we break in the Bjorn. In the mean time, my husband researched and purchased a NoJo, now called the Balboa sling, a Dr. Sears product.
June 2004. Enticed by more online reading, I picked up an Ergo during the summer time. Meanwhile, my husband acquired a Kelty Backpack carrier using his REI dividend. (We love to hike and spend time outdoors)
As First Time Parents, Why We Chose to Baby Carriers over a Stroller
For our family, it was about convenience, not the philosophy known as attachment parenting. So-named by Dr. William Sears, attachment parenting is a philosophy for approaching the first years of your baby’s life with physical closeness, nursing or feeding on demand, observing your baby’s cues, and comforting rather than ignoring baby’s cries.
Reading Dr. Sears’ The Baby Book
For our firstborn, my husband Mike and I chose to rely primarily on the NoJo sling and the Bjorn. Though in hindsight, I would not have had Nolan face outward in the Bjorn as often as I did for reasons I discuss in another article.
For longer family outings, we rotated in the Ergo baby carrier, which we liked for its ultra padded should and waist straps and attached sunblocker. The NoJo and Ergo can do the cradle hold, where our baby’s hip rested against my tummy and he could be angled upright. This was ideal for breastfeeding and to alleviate Nolan’s reflux.
Here’s a short list for first time parents who want to a preview of major benefits of using a baby carrier:
- A lot of very well-made carriers are cheaper than a lot of so-so strollers.
- Not all strollers are equipped with newborn supportive padding. Newborns can’t ride in just any stroller. They must ride in a car seat that fits into a Snap-n-Go stroller or a car seat purchased in combination with a stroller (a.k.a. a “travel system”).
- Breastfeeding while walking, standing, or rocking baby gently is only possible with baby carriers.
- Nothing soothes like being cradled. We found that our first baby would only fall asleep while being held, craddled, jostled, and walked around.
- Multitasking was a powerful rationale for us. Our labrador, Gershwin, was grateful that Mike could use the Nojo sling to carry our son while simultaneously using his free arms to carry a leash and throw tennis balls.
Expecting Your Second Child: What a Carrier Can Do for You
When Nolan was three, his sister Paige joined the family. Twice-daily walks around the block or to the park were essential to each of us. Nolan burned through some toddler energy, Paige slept or nursed, and I burned off a few postpartum pounds. For safety, the mother hen in me wanted to keep both of my kids as close to me as possible. With Paige wrapped in the Moby, I could hold Nolan’s hand when crossing the street or shopping. With my other hand I could carry keys, bags, you name it. Sounds ridiculously simple and obvious, but it’s a very freeing experience to have two kids and two free hands.
So, for the same reason that a bluetooth earpiece is necessary for using your mobile phone, a baby carrier is necessary to venturing out of the house with your kids. You want to keep your hands free and available to handle necessities and emergencies.
If You’ve Just Brought your Newborn Home, But Haven’t Given any Thought to Carriers…
First, why not just stroll through the first years of your baby’s life? I didn’t want to leave my baby in a stroller and walk even ten feet away. I didn’t like that most strollers didn’t instantly allow me to check on my baby; I always had to walk around the front of the stroller.
So if you’ve recently started thinking about a baby carrier, consider the following questions, which are grouped based on carrier type. If you answer ‘YES’ to every question in a section, that carrier type is probably best for your needs.
Wraps
- Does your baby have trouble sleeping unless she’s in your arms?
- Does your baby have reflux or benefit from being more upright?
- Are you looking for a carrier that offers more flexibility in positioning your baby? (For example, one that can go from sitting to standing without jostling baby)
- Is it a priority for you to have both arms free?
Slings
- Do you plan to nurse your baby while standing, while in public?
- Are you going to be the sole wearer of your sling? (Not all are adjustable)
- Do you want an easy-off/easy-on carrier with no margin for error?
Carriers
- Are you going to be the sole wearer of the carrier?
- Do you want a carrier with the durability of a soft-framed carrier?
- Do you want a carrier with nonstretchy fabric that won’t give a little or loosen during wear?
Carriers for Caregivers?
It was reassuring to me when I took my kids to our YMCA to see several Baby Bjorns hanging up in the infant area. Several times when I returned from an exercise class, my daughter Paige was sleeping peacefully, facing inward, in one of them. It’s clear that human contact soothes babies more than bouncers, swings, and other baby containment devices. Carriers free up a caregivers arms to help other kids as well too.
In closing, as a new parent, a second-time parent, and a parent reliant on some childcare, I can attest that choosing a babycarrier – albeit not necessarily a half-dozen of them – is worth it on so many levels.
