This post originally appeared at Rebel Angel.
Ad: Baby Bjorn provided me with this carrier for review.
The term “baby wearing” sounds a bit hippyish, doesn’t it? Most people immediately imagine slings and wraps tied in fancy ways that look very comfortable but complicated. I have to admit, I did first plan to use one of those wraps that was simply a giant piece of material. After a few goes with it, I was still struggling to get it tied correctly and was constantly worried that it wasn’t secure – massive props to anyone that can manage them, but I just can’t!
I talked about using a carrier a couple of months ago on the blog, but further down the line I’ve now added a new baby carrier to my collection, the Baby Bjorn Carrier One Air, kindly provided for review.
This carrier is unlike any others I’ve seen in that it’s made from a soft and airy mesh fabric that’s comfortable for both you and baby, no matter the temperature. This is absolutely ideal right now as the weather is warm and muggy, and I’m also very excited to try it out on our trip to Italy in September when Emmy will be 6 months old as well as in Florida when she’ll be 14 months. Fortunately it has a long life as it can fit babies and toddlers from 3.5 to 15kg, approximately from birth to 3 years old. It does this by allowing you to carry your child in 4 different positions – here I’m wearing Emmy in the baby outwards position on the front, but I originally wore her in the newborn facing inwards position on the front and have recently moved her to baby facing inwards position which has a lower and wider seat which is better for her hips as she’s grown. She’s so super nosy though that we’ve just recently started with facing her outwards too and she’s loving it. The only problem is that she sucks and drools on the top of the carrier – yuck!
Not only is the fabric of the carrier designed to be cool and airy, and thus lightweight, it’s also super soft against both my skin and Emmy’s – very important if you spend a lot of time wearing a baby carrier as I do. It’s ergonomic design is super comfortable too with wide and padded straps that are very adjustable and don’t put pressure onto any specific areas. I generally wear it for at least an hour per day, whether that’s in and around at home doing housework or out and about, and I can honestly say I’ve found it very easy to use and carry Emmy around in.
So rather than this being just a standard review, I wanted to tell you 10 reasons why I think babywearing is the best:
You can clean
If you have what people term a “velcro baby” – one that won’t let you put them down – you can easily get on with the cleaning, all the while holding baby but being hands free.
You can cook
See above – although proceed with caution if you’re using knives or working around an oven! I struggled for a couple of weeks to cook tea as it was around the “witching hour” and found that Emmy wanted to sit on my knee the whole time. I can now prep for dinner, getting everything ready to be cooked when Ben gets home, with Emmy attached to me.
You can hang out the washing
Anyone else struggle to hang the washing outside when you have a baby? It’s tricky to find somewhere to set them down, especially if it’s a bit chilly outside and you can’t be bothered to layer them up for 5 minutes outside. Luckily, the carrier keeps them warm with your body heat but also means you don’t need to find somewhere safe to put them while you’re busy.
You can go shopping and have a trolley
Yes, I’m aware there are trollies with newborn seats (but they look so uncomfortable!) and you can pop the car seat into the trolley (but all the advice currently says 30 minutes maximum in the car seat and that’s our car journey there!). I’m now finding it so much easier to have Emmy in a carrier while pushing a trolley around. Plus she loves being at the same height as me to look at all the colours and lights around her.
You can go to the shops and use the pram for all your shopping!
I may or may not have been out shopping multiple times while pushing the pram but with Emmy in a carrier on me. Yes, I might look a little bit ridiculous, but who’s going to be the one laughing when you’ve got the pram filled with groceries (and/or new clothes…).
You can eat with both hands free
Even more important than shopping and cleaning, you can actually eat for once! Does anyone else find themselves juggling a baby from one hand to another, or between yourself and your partner, at meal times? Emmy has a sixth sense of knowing when food is just perfectly prepared and being put down on the table – she’ll wake up exactly at this point or get super cranky. Then I discovered the skill of wearing her in the carrier while I eat! Okay, she’s had a few crumbs in her hair and the odd bit of chocolate melting on her forehead, but she’s safe, secure and, more importantly, happy and I can get my meal eaten!
You can walk in the countryside
It was very important to us when choosing a pram that it be able to deal with the country lanes and paths around us. We’re in a fairly rural area and I wanted to make sure I could still get out and about. Our pram is wonderful for this, but it’s also pretty bulky. Add into that the fact that babies don’t always like to be laying down in a pram. Here’s where a carrier is perfect.
The photos throughout this post were taken on a walk in the Peak District on our first little holiday with Emmy, and it couldn’t have been more perfect having the Carrier One Air with us. I was able to carry Emmy more than 5km across fields, country tracks, along a river – she even had a teeny paddle! – and to the pub for chips afterwards, and she didn’t complain once, even when we were being threatened by cows. (It turned out they weren’t actually following us, they were going to their water for a drink…we didn’t know that at the time!).
You can workout with baby
So I’ve only done this once so far, but I’ve been wanting to get back into training and getting my fitness back up a bit closer to what it was before getting pregnant. While pregnant, I struggled to even walk around the supermarket after about 6 months thanks to pelvic pain, meaning I got pretty unfit! I tried out this workout yesterday while wearing Emmy and it was awesome – and I’m very achey today! The workout is even better since it’s like you’re wearing a weighted vest!
Baby can nap on you
Naptimes have been the bane of my existence lately, and having a carrier has been really useful for them. Emmy can’t help but fall asleep in a carrier if it’s around nap time thanks to the bouncing motion as well as being close to me. It’s not ideal for a long term nap solution, but it works perfectly when you need to get a nap in when you’re busy and if you’re struggling with bouncing baby in your arms all the time.
Baby is close to you all the time
And possibly the best one of all, no matter what you’re doing, you’re holding baby where they feel like they belong – right against your chest. We all know that skin to skin contact is very important, especially for small babies, and this is as close as you can get to that while out and about – it can apparently help to regulate a baby’s heart rate, temperature and relieves any stress they’re feeling; for mum, it can help the release of hormones that lower your own stress and promote healing. This type of contact is also beneficial for breastfeeding mums – and if you’re super clever, you can even feed a baby in a carrier – something I haven’t yet managed to achieve!
