Revelations…
It’s still a revelation to me that other children do NOT need to be worn/vacuumed to sleep just about every time. My daughter is 2.5 years old, 42 lbs, and 38″ tall; and has spent about 90 minutes on my back today. Today was a “heavy use” (haha!) day as I kept her on my back to shorten the duration of her afternoon nap… but still, she is usually on my back for at least 20 minutes a day.
This is not, FWIW, a “Yay ME, I RAWK” post. The reality is that for me, and my child, babywearing is a necessity. For other children it may not be, or it may even be counterproductive. But from day one, literally, I have been wearing this child and cannot imagine being without it. I remember stumbling to the bathroom in the dark on the second or third day after she was born, and managing to get her into the sling finally. An absolute necessity because she insisted she be held, and I needed at least one hand free to… well, you know! I was unpracticed at slinging and didn’t have her in properly so one hand was still supporting her, but even having that one hand free was so helpful.
Snug in a Moby wrap
I am not sure which came first; the low milk supply or the high-needs baby, or if one created the other, but pretty soon I realized I had a child who wanted to be in arms All. The. Time. I ate with her in the sling, brushing crumbs off her sweet baby hair. I walked with her in the sling. As soon as she was big enough, I was reading tutorials and practicing getting her on my back in a mei tai; at about 3 months I started carrying her regularly on my back.
I cannot even count the number of times having a sling or carrier has literally saved the day for us. Quite recently (in March) was the day we were at Sea World San Antonio and lil’ stuff just… was… done. Overdone. And she just lost it, and I lost it and sat down and cried for a few minutes, unsure what to do with her because she was just being completely horribly impossible, and finally I threw her on my back in a carrier I had stashed in the diaper bag. Thank goodness, as I had about eight zillion miles to walk her out of there, through huge crowds, in raging Texas heat. Instead of my having to a) carry her (impossible) in my arms, or b) coax her screaming and tantruming out (also impossible), I was able to soothe her, give myself a moment, and get both of us out of there so we could calm down.
Sound asleep in a bustling DC hotel
When she had the flu, at about a year old, carriers saved the day too. Well, I actually had the flu also. Both of us just so sick, and she could not sleep. I wound up sleeping sitting up in a chair, with her in a mei tai tied to me. So both of us were able to sleep sitting up, and I didn’t have to worry about falling asleep and dropping her. Lifesaver!
One thing I did not expect was the way wearing my daughter on my back freed up my personal space. I knew it would enable me to have my whole front free; although the power of that cannot be underestimated until arms that have been full of baby for months are, finally, FREE. But I didn’t know that in my own moments of frustration I could have a tiny bit of separation from her by putting her on my back, while still giving her the comfort of my body and presence.
Of all the reasons to be a mom in the Internet age, having access to *so* much information; the most helpful to me personally has been information about babywearing, access to information about carriers, carries, how-to’s, videos, tutorials, you name it. I feel so lucky to have had this, and try to think of having a child like Bella 15 years ago pre-Internet! Eeeks! No carriers? Just a stroller?!?!
I never did master much nursing in a sling or other carrier; but we sure did master the sleeping-and-snuggling in the sling, and the comfort-baby-in-the-sling. We never had a playpen, or a crib, but did I ever invest in some lovely carriers; and did they ever get a lot of use! I’m actually getting a new carrier soon from a lovely mama who makes them over at Carry Me Mama. She made my very favorite carrier, and I am so excited about the new one, which will hopefully fit my big strong girl a bit better!
This post seems random until you realize that I’m writing it minutes after wearing my daughter to sleep… again.
Posted: July 9th, 2009 under babywearing, musings....
Tags: babywearing, mei tai, sleep, sling, tantrums
Comments
Comment from admin
September 4, 2009 at 9:06 am
My daughter was the same way, I think that’s pretty common with kids being worn. They like to move!
Comment from GraceDisciple
July 28, 2009 at 6:54 pm
Thanks for posting your musings. My own nearly 11 month old high-needs/spirited baby fights going into slings and carriers but calms down once in there as long as I’m moving. The minute I sit down or even stand still, she’s fighting it again!