Babywearing in Pictures

I did not include any pictures in my post about baby carriers. I considered it, but in the end, I wanted that post to be a source of information and I was concerned that including photographs would be a distraction. However, if you're a visual person, or if you just haven't seen these types of carriers before, perhaps you'd be interested in some photographs.

First a quick review. The three major groups of carriers I commented about were:

1. Pouches and ring slings. Worn on one shoulder, the fabric drapes across the body and forms a pouch or pocket for the baby to sit in.

I made this ring sling from osnaburg with a fabric accent (Pillow and Maxfield Whimsy for Michael Miller). The green rings came from Sling Rings.

Sierra, a few weeks old, in a Mayawrap ring sling. This was my first "good" baby carrier ("good" in this instance includes carriers that support baby under the bum and legs and excludes the baby-dangles-by-her-crotch-front-pack sort. Just a note: wearing your baby in that sort of carrier is better than not wearing your baby at all, but I maintain that there are better options, that are more comfortable for the wearer and more supportive for the wearee.).

Kaia, in the same ring sling, only a day old. I still have hospital tags on my wrist.

2. Asian-inspired baby carriers or ABCs. I described mei tais, soft structured carriers and podaegis, but there are many others. The basic design is a rectangle of fabric for the body of the carrier with straps on the top or on the top and bottom. A podaegi has only top straps, which are tied around the wider body of the carrier and under the child to form a seat. A mei tai has both shoulder and waist straps and ties around the wearer to secure the child. A soft structured carrier is similar in design to a mei tai with straps instead of buckles.

This is one of my favorite mei tais. It gets a lot of use around here.

Kaia, asleep in a podaegi. Notice how the blanket of the carrier tucks under her bum and then the straps cross and go under her legs to form a seat?

3. Wraps or wraparound carriers. Essentially a long piece of fabric that can be tied innumerable ways to support the baby. Stretchy wraps are not nearly as versatile in terms of possible carriers as woven wraps, but they are still popular choice, especially for newborns.

Kaia in the sun after a hike in a woven wrap by Vatanai.

A good baby carrier is an essential parenting tool. While a wrap, a mei tai, or a soft structured carrier will cost you $80-$120 and up to buy new, it's well worth the money for something you will use every day from the day your child is born until well after she is walking on her own. If I had to give one reason why I think babywearing is so important it would be because it makes life easier, and consequently saves my sanity.

Babywearing allows to share the world with our children and not compromise our lifestyle. Take hiking for instance. I'd like to see you get a stroller up here!

Em on Hawkbill Mountain, Shenandoah National Park, with Sierra in a Freehand mei tai, November 2008.

Jason at Little Stony Man, Shenandoah National Park, with Sierra in Ergo, June 2009.

Em on the way to Millers Head, Shenandoah National Park with Kaia in Vatanai Wrappers Paradise 2010, October 2010.

Jason on his way up Bearfence Mountain, Shenandoah National Park, with Sierra in an Olives and Applesauce soft structured carrier, March 2010.

And it's not just great for climbing mountains; babywearing makes getting around easier, no matter where you're going. We have never brought a stroller when we've travelled, and it's been great. Imagine not having to push a stroller through a crowded airport or train station, trying to navigate around people and searching for the elevator. No, with a baby carrier, you can just hop on the escalator and slip easily through crowds.

Jason with Sierra in the Olives and Applesauce at one of the DC metro stations, June 2010.

Last season, Kaia came to work with me, coaching dry land workouts for a youth swim team.

Em coaching BASS swimmers with Kaia in a woven wrap, Vatanai Orkney, October 2010.

You can wear your baby at a road race (when you're finished, not while you're running!)

At the Marine Corps Marathon and 10K, Jason's packing a sleeping Sierra in the Ergo, Em has Kaia in a Storchenwiege Ulli, October 2010.

Em wears Kaia in a mei tai to receive an award at the Wicked Bottom 5K, Culpeper, VA, May 2011.

A good baby carrier is an asset when you're out and about with a baby, especially if you have an older child to chase after. You don't have to worry about leaving baby unattended in the stroller if for some reason you have to run over to assist big sister.

Sierra checks out the tiger, while riding in her tiger mei tai, National Zoo, October 2009

At the Children's Museum of Richmond, Kaia in a Didymos natural/brown indio woven wrap, April 2011

At the organic tulip farm in Madison, VA, with Kaia in Storchenwiege Ulli, April 2011.

Picking strawberries at Liberty Mills Farm, Kaia in Vatanai Orkney, May 2011.

Babywearing is great for children from newborn through preschooler.

Kaia, hours old, in Vatanai Valensole, August 2010.

Sierra, age 3, rides in an Olives and Applesauce carrier on a hike, June 2011.

Babywearing is for all seasons.

Winter: Em hikes from Pocossin Mission, Shenandoah National Park, with Sierra in Ergo, January 2009.

Spring: Em and Sierra investigate the new leaves with Sierra in a mei tai, March 2009. This is the first mei tai I ever made. If I look closely, I can see all the mistake I made, but I won't tell you what they are. The fabric is beautiful and I still have it.

Summer: Em carriers Sierra to Morning Glory Pool, Yellowstone National Park, in a handmade osnaburg wrap. Remember in my post about carriers I said I preferred a short wrap to carry my toddler when I was pregnant?

Fall: on a hike with Kaia in Vatanai Valensole, October 2010.

Babywearing is for all places.

The city

The country

The desert

The forest

Babywearing is for all people.

Moms and dads

Aunts and uncles

Grandmas ...

... and Grandpas

And all your friends!

Even little ones can wear their little ones!

You just have to find the right carrier for that time, place and person! There are so many options that there's certainly one for everyone and every situation.

Happy Babywearing!