[pinit]
I pulled into the parking lot of the post office today and, in my rearview mirror, witnessed a woman exiting the building with a baby stroller. You know the routine: push the stroller to the door, walk to the end of the stroller, push the door open, pull the stroller through, get behind the stroller again, apologize to the people waiting for you to make it through the door…
As this woman struggled to keep the stroller from bouncing and drifting too much on the rough asphalt surface of the parking lot, all I wanted to do was grab my soft-structured baby carrier from the backseat and GIVE it to her!
I understand the appeal of the stroller: how else was mama supposed to stand in the long line at the post office without straining her arms? Or how was she to hold the package she needed to send with a baby in her arms? But I can’t help but recall the wonderful experiences I’ve had and how much I could (and still do!) accomplish because I wore my child. Baby carriers offer the convenience of hands-free baby carrying while keeping the little one close.
The term “babywearing” starts one thinking immediately about carrying an infant–and we did plenty of that. Some of the first photos of my husband and son involve the baby snuggled up to his dad’s chest in a carrier. My husband enjoyed taking the wee one on walks around our yard, describing the trees, the sounds–connecting with our new little life and with nature.
Baby carriers helped me reconnect with our son at the end of a work day. I’d often wear him on my back as I prepared dinner, explaining the process, allowing him to learn from me. When I stopped working to stay at home with our boy, carriers became invaluable for necessaries such as, well, hitting the post office or the grocery store. Routines became special for me, because outside of nursing, our little guy was a squirmy one; he never stopped moving from the day he was born. However, he was always content in a carrier, where he was at my height and could see and be seen. With the carrier, I got much-needed closeness from a child who wasn’t otherwise a snuggler.
“…routines became special to me, because outside of nursing, our little guy was a squirmy one; he never stopped moving. With a carrier, I got much-needed closeness from a child who wasn’t otherwise a snuggler.”
And beyond the everyday uses, baby carriers, like the Boba, allowed my husband and I to maintain our adventurous lifestyle and zest for the outdoors. While other parents may worry about how they’ll navigate a crowded festival with a young child, we easily zipped around with Little Bear on our backs. We have explored historical sites, hiked long trails, and spent hours in quiet museums thanks to our Boba. This independence from the typical idea of what it’s like to have a baby in tow allowed us to transition to parenthood much easier. Our “before-baby” lives didn’t suffer and we were able to make our son a part of what we defined as “family.”
Boba calls that “Freedom Together.” Pretty perfect, eh?
Using a baby carrier like Boba allows a family to bond via not only the daily routines but through shared adventures and discoveries. I love that our son is learning and growing beside us.
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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Boba. The opinions and text are all mine.
