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COPYRIGHT 2002 Mothering Magazine
My son Benjamin, almost eight months old, has ridden in a stroller perhaps only five times ill his life. Instead, has spent his days snuggled up to me in a variety of baby carriers. When he was just 12 hours old, we put him in a New Native Baby Carrier. As Benjamin grew bigger, we tried a number of things--adjustable slings, a Japanese hip carrier, the ubiquitous Baby Bjorn, a Baby Trekker soft backpack, a fleece sling, the Sara's Ride hip carrier, a Tough Traveler frame backpack, and a Korean blanket carrier designed to carry an infant or small child on the back. It's been hard to restrain myself from buying even more items I wanted to try--a Didymos sling, a Maya Wrap, a Baby Bundler, a Baby Wrap, a Rebozo sling. These are all variations on the same thing, though: a soft cloth wrap that holds the baby close.
Visitors laugh at the number of baby carriers I have piled in a basket by our door. We live in an urban area where most mothers take their babies out in a stroller. It was easy to justify wanting to carry Benjamin at first; after all, he was light and small. Still, I know that some found it strange that my husband and I preferred to carry him close to our bodies, rather than use a stroller.
I just knew that I didn't want my son spending hours in an inanimate object, out of the way. I wanted him in the thick of things, with us. We quickly became used to carrying him in a sling or close to our bodies while we ate out at restaurants. When he was about a week old, I even nursed him in a sling while walking down the street and later while I ate a Thai dinner. I found it much easier to do the shopping, walk the dog, or eat a...
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