This post is maybe a bit random, but I have noticed quite a few times over the past year that people comment on the fact we do not use a pushchair for the baby. Sometimes it is a concerned, 'Would you like us to pass on our old one?', but at more recently, people seem particularly interested in the carrier we are currently using (in case you are interested, it is a MacPac vamoose, and the reason we went for that one is because my husband and I are quite different in size (he is a lot taller and exactly double my weight), and we struggled to find one that was adjustable; many others were just fine for me, but caused blisters half way down his back. Also, we like proper hiking, and this is pretty much everything you need). Until our children are about one, we use a Baby Bjorn, for no other reason than this was what we had passed on to us. The combination of MacPac on the back and Baby Bjorn on the front is remarkably comfortable; I could easily walk 3-5 miles that way.
I've noticed some people can be quite strong in their views, that it is absolutely the only right and best way to transport a child who cannot yet walk. Babywearing is a word I have come across lately. I might not be quite so strong in my views, but I thought I'd list a few advantages. Here are 10 that spring to mind, but you may have others too.
1) For the newborn, it is simply that feeling of closeness. It is like a long cuddle. The baby feels safe and secure, the parent feels quite relaxed because the child is close, and you really do start to get in tune with your baby's needs
2) It is much closer for talking to/ singing to your child, which I think is an important part of bonding
3) You can breast feed in many of the slings. I even discovered you could do so with a baby bjorn (which I had previously thought impossible!), out of desperation as I was in the middle of a muddly field with two toddlers and nowhere to sit and feed the poor baby. It became very useful as time went on, as I could get out and about with the older children, and still be able to feed the baby on demand.
4) I found carrying the children strengthened my core muscles helpfully. I had pretty bad pelvic girdle problems in pregnancy (sacroiliac joints affected) and the well balanced position of a child in a sling was much easier than a cumbersome push chair
5) Public transport is way way easier. I can do journeys that I would not attempt with a pushchair. I never get stuck at stairs or escalators either.
6) As the child grows, it is easier for them to be part of the family group and join in the conversation (or their babbling attempts) than being a little at a distance in a pushchair
7) It really helped us when they started to walk more and more. We could hold hands and walk, and only use the carrier as a last resort. I have seem others struggle to push an empty stroller and help a child walk. Putting a child back in a stroller becomes a bit of an easy option, and it can be difficult to get the children to walk well at an early age
8) No enormous pram in my hallway (our house is not enormous)
9) Can climb mountains, wade through shallow rivers, slash in the sea, just generally be a lot more versatile and active than with a pushchair
10) Basically you never have to think, 'Can I get there?', or 'What about the pram?'. Off we go! You feel very free, and are not encumbered by lots of 'stuff' when you go out and about.
I am not being paid by any of the manufacturers to write this! But it's something to think about if you have a new baby, or even a slightly older one.
Have fun
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