Adventures in babywearing

Adventures in Babywearing!!

Babywearing was a life saver for me this summer! I'd like to share some of my tips and experiences from 3 different trips I took, the carriers I used, and why. Babywearing made flying effortless and helped me participate in fun activities with my family and friends that I personally think would've been a challenge without a baby carrier, and even a few things that would've been down right impossible. 



Baby's first trip was to visit old friends on the coast in Virginia. We really enjoyed our size 2 woven wrap on this trip. It was super hot in July and the shortie was nice and versatile while keeping us cool. I could keep baby snuggled on my front in a torso carry, nurse in a rebozo carry or I could put him in a back carry when I needed some freedom. Babywearing is especially handy for beach trips since it's next to impossible to push a stroller through the sand. You can keep baby close and still enjoy all the beach has to offer. Other outings like an amusement park and water park were a breeze with baby happily strapped to me. I also loved our Kinderpack soft structured carry for ease and comfort.

Our next trip was to go visit family in Indiana.  I opted to fly with baby since he hated the car and we had just had a very long road trip the month before. I usually prefer to bring a car seat on the plane
for safety reasons; But for this trip a happy baby won out since he typically screamed in his seat and I didn't want the entire plane to hate me. Many people travel with their babies under 2 as lap babies. It is recommended that baby be strapped into a carseat but is not required as it is safer to fly than it is to drive statistically and airlines know that many people would object to purchasing a full price ticket

for their baby. Do your research and do what is right for you. I was aware of the risks and opted to keep baby on my lap versus a seat, but have and will buy a seat for my babies in the future so they can be properly restrained. When wearing your baby through the airport you are typically allowed to keep baby in the carrier through security, though they will do a special screen on your hands. I used my shortie for this trip again because of the versatility and the fact that I couldn't easily wrap with a long wrap on a plane. A ring sling or buckle carrier would be great options for this reason as well. My little guy fell asleep right as we were boarding and unfortunately airlines require you to take your baby out of the carrier for take off. I asked the flight attendant what the reasoning is for this and her guess was that your weight could crush your baby in the event of an accident. It seemed unneccessary to me but we obliged. I popped baby back into our pre-tied rebozo carry to get off the plane and off we went.



Our final trip was local to Gatlinburg for the weekend. Long days of wearing out around town called for more supportive multi-pass carries in our longer woven wraps. Our second day there was spent hiking in Smoky Mountain National Park. This is another activity that would literally be impossible without wearing. Baby happily snoozed in the carrier while we hiked some fairly challenging trails and soaked in the sights, including a gorgeous waterfall. This day my husband shared the wearing with me so we used the Kinderpack since it was his preference. I definitely didn't object. Many people use carriers specifically designed for hiking, although a soft structured carrier provides the same function and is more practical for everyday use; A woven wrap would be a good option too. I would recommend a back carry for hiking so you can watch your footing. At one point baby was fussy and only happy on my front and it made things much more challenging. I wouldn't recommend a sling for this since something more balanced and ergonomic would be more comfortable for both Mom and Baby. I would definitely not recommend dangerous hiking while wearing, but there are plenty of trails out there that provide beautiful scenery as well as a challenge.

  Just because you have a baby doesn't mean that your travels and adventures need to stop. Babywearing provides a lot of opportunities for fun activities! Always remember that the rule of thumb is generally not to do anything wearing your baby that you wouldn't feel comfortable doing carrying your baby. Use your best judgment and if it's something you are questioning it's probably best to avoid it. But otherwise, grab your baby carrier and enjoy some great adventures with your little one!