I’m not sure about you, but some of my most vivid memories of when I first became a mother are of bouncing my children up and down in a baby carrier...
For the first six or so months of their lives, they spent a lot of time in a baby carrier. It was the only way they’d settle and there’s plenty of research that proves infants thrive through touch. I still remember the sweet sound of their soft breathing and their snuggly little faces buried into my chest. “Anthropologists who travel throughout the world studying infant-care practices in other cultures agree the benefits of baby wearing cultures are that infants cry much less. In Western culture we measure a baby’s crying in hours, but in other cultures, crying is measured in minutes. We have been led to believe that it is “normal” for babies to cry a lot, but in other cultures this is not accepted as the norm. In these cultures, babies are normally “up” in arms and are put down only to sleep – next to the mother. When the parent must attend to her own needs, the baby is in someone else’s arms,” explains American pediatrician and the author or co-author of more than 30 parenting books, Dr Bill Sears.
We carried our BabyBjörn Baby Carrier One everywhere with us (Arabella travelled through London and France in it). When witching hour hit – that trying time which starts around 4pm and can go for hours – I’d pop her in the BabyBjörn and try to get some of the washing done. The ergonomic baby carrier makes it easy for you to give your child the closeness and security they need, while you keep your hands free. I also love the Baby Carrier One Air which is made of airy mesh, designed to make babywearing much more comfortable in hot and humid conditions (it’s ideal for Australia). The cool mesh fabric is soft and breathable, but it’s also durable and dries quickly after washing. With both styles, it’s easy to switch between several front and back baby-wearing positions. The baby carrier also has a sturdy waist belt and padded, form-fitting shoulder straps which relieves pressure on your back and shoulders (anyone else remember the back pain from breastfeeding and carrying a newborn around?) You can carry your child from birth up to the age of three so you’ll use it well beyond the first year (we used it for two children and then passed it onto a friend – it goes the distance). Now three and five, my girls are too big now (although I still find they’re on my hip a lot), but I’ll always treasure those days where I wore them and know they’ll treasure them too. In association with BabyBjörn. For more information, go to www.babybjorn.com.au