I’ve been wearing my daughter since she was only a few weeks old and I just couldn’t imagine not wearing her anymore. But then she learned how to walk, and she got more and more confident and stronger too. And suddenly, she didn’t want to be carried anymore. For a long time, I thought that our babywearing days were well and truly over. However, something shifted again, and now walking is not so important anymore.
I certainly don’t wear her as often and as long as I used to when she was a baby, but there are still lots of opportunities for me to wear my little girl now that she is 3 ½ years old. And I can see quite a few benefits in doing so.
1. Bonding with your child
Firstly, wearing my girl gives me a great opportunity to bond with her. When on my back we are nice and close to each other. We can chat easily, she can rest her head on my shoulder or give me a big cuddle with her little arms. I can also reach for her hands or support her bum a little more with my arms.
2. When tired legs need a rest
For some reason toddlers love to practise their new walking skill and then suddenly, they don’t want to walk anymore and only ever want to be carried. Of course, I don’t carry my daughter everywhere, because she is just simply too heavy for that. But when her legs start to get tired (and let’s be honest, the whining gets too much) I do pick her up and carry her for a while.
3. Keeping your child close in a crowd
In places with big crowds I find it easiest to carry my toddler or young child in order to keep her close and not loose her. This could be in a big city, at an airport or in a crowded shopping centre.
Carrying my child in those places also gives her the advantage of being higher up and therefore seeing more then just all those adult legs. This way it is easier to show my daughter cars, airplanes etc. which would otherwise be difficult to see for her.
4. Needing to get from A to B fast
And then there are those times when I simply need to get from A to B pretty fast and I know this will never happen if I let my daughter walk by herself. For those cases, I prepare and pack my carrier accessible. I also tell my daughter that I would like to carry her so that we get to our destination in time and ask her to help me with getting her on my back by stepping into the carrier and holding still.
5. Having a nap on the go
Our nap times are unfortunately over, but when we travel and nights have been short, a nap might still be needed. When there isn’t a bed nearby and I notice that a nap is needed, I like to carry my daughter. I know that she will then easily fall asleep even if the environment is busy and noisy.
When we first arrived in Montreal, Canada my daughter’s circadian rhythm was completely out of whack and the second night she woke up at 1am and just could not get back to sleep. We left our accommodation at 6am and after a coffee break, we discovered Montreal. At one point I put my daughter in the carrier on my back and she instantly fell asleep.
I’m curious
Have you been wearing your toddler or young child? And which carrier have you found best?
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