When Nothing Else Works...

To me, babywearing is beautiful and handy, but it's also often a last resort. This is not to say that I don't use it first and foremost many times, because oh, I do. But you know those days when nothing works? Those are the days when I love babywearing.

This was us, yesterday. Not the most flattering picture and a little blurry, but so indicative of what babywearing is. I was on day two of a migraine. Tommy was on day I don't even know but it seems like a million of his molars tearing into his gums, so much that his bottom gum was bloody. He was miserable. I was miserable. We tried everything, but nothing worked until I put him in the sling (my favorite, the Hotslings AP... a casualty of the recent anti-babywearing stance). He felt better. I felt better. We just breathed in those moments of closeness and relaxed.

Here's the thing. Yes, babywearing may be dangerous if done incorrectly, but so are carseats if used incorrectly. Instead of recalling carseats, we've educated people. We've made carseat installations easy to obtain at most fire departments, police stations, or hospital. It's true, we've never installed a carseat ourselves, preferring to let a professional do it. And as one fireman told me, they're happy to do it, rather than see the results of an improperly installed carseat post-accident.

And why not do the same with babywearing? Now, I'm not proposing that we require fire departments to teach new moms how to wear a baby (how funny would that be?), but instead of blanket recalls, how about education, a call to action? Campaigns on the benefits of babywearing (because there are so many), babywearing classes at libraries, a push to make sure that all slings and carriers sold are safe, and mother-to-mother education. Know someone who just had a baby? Show up at her door with a casserole and all your baby carriers. Educate. Spread the word that baby carriers are safe and best of all, get out there and wear your baby.