Babywearing Mamas

Sanity!!! I've got an 8 week old and a 2 year old and if I didn't wear the little one (a beco butterfly 2, which I love), I'd never be able to do anything! It calms the little one and they love to sleep in there. I agree with Michelle about keeping an eye on their airways.

No stroller! Babywearing is much better for your baby's head (so that he/she doesn't get the flat head problem from being on his back all the time. It is easier to nurse, baby is comfortable, warm, can smell you, less colicky, etc. I wore my now 17 month old all the time as I also had a 4 year old. I could wear the baby, and hold my older one's hand for walks, to the park, grocery, preschool, etc. When you are wearing your baby, as infants people are much less likely to touch the baby and expose him to their germs (a concern when I would pick up my older at daycare). As my baby got older and much heavier, I've switched to an Ergo. He is at 30 lbs now which makes most wraps pretty uncomfortable for any period of time. I wear him on my back all the time and he loves to be high enough to be able to see at my level. Still, very little using a stroller and much more mobility. Love babywearing!

Babywearing is so great because you can use both your arms while keeping your baby snuggled up. If you have a sling, you have to be careful to keep your baby's head in the right position so his/her airway doesn't become blocked. You can search YouTube to find a lot of helpful videos on positioning your baby properly.

It keeps them close to you, they can smell you and keep warm off your body heat. They might be lulled into longer sleep because of your movement. You can have both hands free.

the downsides are, it might be a bit much for your back, and shoulders. the baby might fuss a bunch getting in and out of the carrier. also, if you overdo it, they don't get a chance to stretch and build up their muscles, or do the all important tummy time.

it didn't work well for me, but my father loved having our DS in the ergo, and later the kelty and pacing him into a nap from 1 month - 4 months.

The non stretchy/woven wraps I feel are better for older infants - I've used my stretchy wrap sinve son was 1 months and he's 6 months now and am upgrading to a mei tei and woven wrap. We love babywearing! I'm sure there is a playgroup in your area that can help with in person modeling and instruction of wrapping

We continue to wear our 13 month old and only recently has he grown almost too heavy for the Baby Bjorn. We loved carrying our little guy in a sling at the beginning for all the reasons the others mentioned. People can't play pass the baby, germ protection, warmth, comfort, protected from the elements, etc. Also during the first 6 months or so when our son would get super fussy, it was so much easier to put him in a backpack than carry him around. We did plenty of chores around the house carrying him during those fussy times.

We upgraded to the Baby Bjorn around 3 months because the sling wasn't working for my husband. We rarely use a stroller so trips out are easy. Put on the backpack and off we go with our hands free. Shopping is easier too since he started walking at 10 months. We don't have to constantly worry about what he's getting into or putting into his mouth. We have noticed our little guy won't sit in a stroller for long but we figure it is because he is so used to being at a higher level in the backpack. Who wants to look at knees when you can actually see things when you are at carrier level? We love our baby carrier and highly recommend using one.

Baby wearing can be great if you find a method that works for you. I've never wrapped, so I can't tell you about that. When they're little I would use a sling/pouch. It's hard to go into the grocery store/walmart with a baby and other little ones in toe when you're lugging a car seat and then have no room in the car. It really does just make the infant stages easier to just strap baby to you. Plus babies tend to prefer to be close to their mothers. As mine got older, I use an SSC. Those are similar to baby bjorns in that the buckle, but baby bjorns, snugglis, etc are not good for your back or for baby's hips. They're basically referred to as crotch danglers by babywearers. There's lots out there that are good - Ergo, Beco, Babyhawk, Olives & applesauce, Kinderpack, etc - that keep baby positioned correctly and don't put strain on your back and shoulders.