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About a week after I had my first baby, I got daring and decided to put her in a baby carrier and take her for a walk. At the time, I knew very little about baby wearing and the community behind it. Apparently there was a whole world of baby wearers out there, and they had lots of opinions on what was right and what was wrong. I will get to that later on, but now I want to address my own experience. I used a popular brand of baby carrier and the only reason I chose that one was because I was able to find it super cheap on eBay, and it got great reviews for being easy-on, easy-off without needing assistance. Not once did I think that the baby carrier I was using could actually harm my baby. The first time I put her in the baby carrier, it just didn’t look comfortable. Her tiny legs dangled unsupported. I used a receiving blanket to keep her head in place, but our initial overall experience was not good. I tried it again a few weeks later when she was a bit bigger and more sturdy, and she screamed.. the.whole.way.to.the.store. It was nerve-wracking. My tiny baby didn’t like to be “worn” and I thought it was her. Turns out, it might have been her carrier. About a year later we were introduced to the world of baby wearing. The dos and don’ts. The facts on what was comfortable for mom AND baby, and the proper way to carry children of various developmental stages and ages. I also learned about baby wraps, which proved to be more comfortable in the earlier stages of a baby’s life.
With baby #2, I felt like I was better equipped with knowledge and the proper baby carriers. We have quite a few, Boba being two of them. Our Boba Wrap got use through the first few months, and believe it or not I still use it all the time with my 1 1/2 year old! She loves when I “wear” her and has grown accustomed to our routine of baby wearing. When she’s not feeling well, she will bring me a baby carrier, signifying that she wants the closeness the wrap affords us. In our nearly 2 years of baby wearing, I have never thought of facing her outward, and I’m not too sure she would want that. She is happy snuggling with mama, no matter how old or how big she gets. She always moves my hair out of the way and finds a piece of exposed skin on my chest she can lay her head on. After joining the wonderful community of baby wearing, I’ve learned that keeping baby forward facing has a multitude of benefits including preventing hip dysplasia, and also keeps your baby safe from being over-stimulated by what is going on. In busy NYC, you can expect that we have A LOT going on when we go for walks, and this can be quite overwhelming to a baby who is just getting use to the world around them.
Along with extra snuggle time by keeping baby facing inward, you can also get a better carrying position for baby, ensuring baby’s hips and back are properly aligned and not at risk for hip dysplasia. During these colder winter months, having baby’s body against the caregiver can help keep body temperatures regulated, which isn’t the case with forward facing babies. Keeping them inward also protects their delicate skin on their face to make sure it isn’t hit with the brutal cold that can leave them with dry, chapped skin. You can find more information on why it is important to keep baby facing inward on the Boba website.
As I mentioned before, there is a huge online community dedicated to safe baby wearing and benefits for mom and baby.
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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Boba. The opinions and text are all mine.