“What do you have in there?”
“Can he breathe in there?”
“Aren’t you afraid he’ll fall out?”
“Don’t your arms hurt?”
These are typical questions I’ve heard through the years, when I’m out and about with a baby in a sling. A walking advocate for baby wearing, I patiently answer:
“It’s a baby.”
“Yes, he loves it in here, and can breathe just fine.”
“He’s kind of nestled down in the pouch – he’s safe.”
“Actually, my arms would hurt a lot more if I had to carry him. The sling is great because it takes up most of the weight; he’s really heavy without it!”

Instinctively, humans want to carry their babies to keep them close, but too often parents in our country are led to believe that strollers and car seat carriers are the convenient way to transport their babies. In many other cultures, it is unusual to see a baby not being worn on the mother’s body in some way.

Babies like the comfort and security of being held. They are more relaxed, cry less and they have more opportunities to interact with people when they are being carried. Jean Liedloff, author of The Continuum Concept, states that “in order to achieve optimal physical, mental and emotional development… [among other things] babies should be constantly carried in arms or otherwise in contact with someone, usually his mother, and allowed to observe (or nurse, or sleep) while the person carrying him goes about his or her business — until the infant begins creeping, then crawling on his own impulse, usually at six to eight months”.

When your baby is in a sling or wrap, your hands are free to get what you need done. Navigating through the grocery store and other crowded places is a breeze when your baby is snuggled in the safety of your sling or carrier. Wearing your baby can also solve the problem of sore arms or lower back muscles. Carrying a 20 lb baby (or 25 lbs of baby and infant seat) can really wear you out. Our family has been through many busy airports over the years and has been so thankful to have our New Native carrier to get us through the inevitable hurry up and wait scenarios we’re all so familiar with. Baby can sit up and look around, or curl up and sleep, always up out of harm’s way.

There are many different types of slings and carriers, and many different ways to use them. Wraps are long pieces of material that you wrap around your baby and yourself and tie in place. These distribute baby’s weight evenly over your shoulders, chest and back. They can be difficult to learn how to use, but are well worth the effort. Slings are worn over one shoulder and have rings to adjust the fit. Some have padded rails, some don’t and they can come with a closed tail, or an open one. The New Native carrier I mentioned above is a non-adjustable pouch that is simply a loop of fabric. For long walks, there is another style of carrier that has backpack-style straps for each shoulder, which allows you to wear your baby on your back or front, with baby’s weight distributed through their bottom and thighs. There is concern from some chiropractors about a well-known front carrier which has infants dangled by their crotch, with all their weight at the base of the spine. Please do some research before using this style of carrier.

You can make your own sling or wrap, occasionally find one second hand, or buy one new. I ended up owning several for different uses! Like cloth diapers, they can last through two babies if taken care of. People who wear their babies tend to be friendly and helpful, you can always ask for advice or make note of how they are using their sling or carrier. I picked up several tricks and tips by asking other parents about their experiences.

This morning I overheard my six year old playing with her doll; she was packing to go on an imaginary trip and deciding how to hold everything: “I’m going to tie this blanket into a carrier to make the baby lighter.” Sounds like good advice to me.

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Laurie Grey Shultis, mother of five, has been parenting for 22 years and is a strong supporter of Attachment Parenting. She is the owner of Portable Kid in Bellingham, which offers in-home visits for your family to try a variety of slings and baby carriers. Feel free to contact her for help learning how to wear your baby. See www.portablekid.com or call 360-752-1140.

Web Links:

Reviews of slings and carriers:
www.babywearer.com
Information on Jean Liedloff’s excellent book:
www.continuum-concept.org
Wrap Tying Tips:
www.nandu.hu/English/Practical/babycarrier.htm
Instructions to make your own sling:
www.geocities.com/samanthalane/sling/
Natural Child Project – resources for caring parents:
www.naturalchild.com/guest/
Northwest Attachment Parenting:
www.nw-ap.org/
Infant Carriers & Spinal Stress:
www.continuum-concept.org/reading/spinalStress.html