Every family has a story, and babywearing is intertwined through ours. We knew from the first awestruck moments after birth that this precious little one needed us and we scooped him in and never wanted to let him go.
Unfortunately, we didn't really want to let the laundry, dishes, housework, etc, completely go to pot either. Also, our arms got tired. He was born 8 pounds, 3 ounces and gained a pound a week for his first several weeks of life!
So babywearing entered our lives, and we are profoundly grateful for the connection, for the ease, for the bonding, for the portability, for the natural-ness, of the
babywearing way of life.
From
chasing cows to
coping with a child in the hospital, babywearing is an integral part of how we parent.
Our first baby, pictured in the first two pictures, is now 2 1/2, and most of the time much happier to be on his own two feet (which is fine with us, since he's also 30 pounds now)!
Our second baby, who was born 12 months after our first, is in the next photo solo and in the one after being worn with her older brother. By the time she came along, I'd really found my babywearing groove, and was excited to be able to wear her a lot more than her brother. Tandem babywearing really made our year of two under two much, much easier.
When our second was born, our first had been walking for a week. There was no way he could toddle all the way across a parking lot, far less walk through a store. And if you've ever tried to navigate a stroller through a crowded, treasure laden thrift store (starting by getting in, the doors aren't automatic!), you'll understand why strapping 35 pounds of baby to your torso is comparatively easy.
I didn't want to be homebound just because I had two very small children, and thanks in large part to babywearing, I wasn't.
And I not only shed the baby weight pretty quickly (try squatting down to get a can on a bottom shelf at the discount grocery with 35 pounds of extra weight and you'll see why!), I enjoyed making fun memories with them at the same time.
When we recently found out that we're expecting #3 next spring, among all of the wonderful things we're looking forward to one of them is wearing a snuggly little newborn again! My husband laughed at me when I said that... and then later admitted that he's really looking forward to getting to babywear a newborn too! He loves the Moby wrap, and this time around I'm trading another carrier with a cousin for a pretty
indigo Moby. Can't wait!
I know I've been rather silent around here, between morning sickness, a horrific cold *achoo!*, and a broken camera, so you might be wondering what brought me out of the woodwork today.
Babywearing is in crisis, and just as babywearing helped us, we need to turn around and help the babywearing industry stay beautiful, vibrant, and diverse.
While I've made many of my own carriers, not every mama can, and we need a variety of big and small babywearing businesses that can provide those families with the tools they need. When I'm stopped on the street and asked about my carriers, frequently I say, "I made this one, but you can buy a similar one from (fill in the blank depending on the type.)" Often that person will write it down or take one of my babywearing cards with more information.
Losing those businesses due to expensive testing, prohibitive regulation, or sheer bureaucracy is not acceptable.
What will I do if I can't refer them to somewhere they can buy a similar carrier anymore? Or if eventually even sharing patterns and tutorials for DIY carriers is curtailed because of regulation? How will that harm babywearing? Quite frankly,
I don't know and I don't want to find out.
Long story short, the CPSC is trying to regulate the babywearing industry, and there is a huge risk that many of our favorite carriers will go the way of the buffalo (
or Hotslings.)
Babywearing is a safe, traditional way of parenting babies, and the CPSC needs to let parents
parent.
Babywearing is a parenting choice, and by restricting our access to carriers, the CPSC is going to limit our ability as parents to choose what we feel is best for our babies.
This is totally unacceptable.
Please go connect with the
Baby Carrier Industry Alliance on Facebook to stay updated with what is going on and how you can help! All babywearers really need to rally and unite right now. As things develop we may need to write letters or make phone calls, but right now, we need to connect, share our stories, and speak out about the joys of babywearing.
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If you are a blogger, the Baby Carrier Industry Alliance needs you... please go here and read their
call to action - and then act on it!
We need to be very vocal right now about how important babywearing is to us! If you do write a post, be sure to post it on the
BCIA Facebook page AND put it on
the linky over at Adventures in Babywearing... Steph is going to randomly choose a linky participant to win a Sakura Bloom ring sling, so you definitely don't want to miss out on that!
Also, if you share your babywearing story and
link up at the Wrapsody Baby blog you'll be entered to win a Gypsy Mama microfleece wrap (perfect for fall!)
Important update 10/4/10: Action needed:
A
recall of a major baby carrier is being forced through this week in a very underhanded way. Word on the babywearing street is that this is not an unsafe carrier and the CPSC has overstepped their bounds in how they've gone about this. If you are represented by any one of these legislators
listed here, PLEASE call and write them. More details over at the link, please take the time to read and act. If this can happen to one carrier, it can happen to them all.
All our carriers are in jeopardy.