5 Thoughts on Baby-Wearing from a Reformed Baby-Wearer.

I hardly ever wore my first two babies. As a matter of fact, I can count on one hand the number of times that I wore my first, four and a half years ago. It wasn't something that worked for me back then nor was it something that made my life easier, or something I was overly passionate about. 
But then I had a third baby and unlike I had wished, a third arm and hand did not sprout from behind my back. I had three kids under the age of five and only two hands and I still had a house to run. Lunches to be made. Heinies to wipe, sippies to pour and hell, sometimes I even wanted to drink my coffee lukewarm. 
Something had to give and so I began dabbling in the world of baby-wearing. 
When he was an infant, I wore Collins in the K'tan . It's a sling-like soft carrier (very similar to wrap fabric) that you slipped on and tucked baby easily and safely inside. I think what scared me off from baby-wearing my first was two things: lack of knowledge and the insane, overwhelming amount of fabric of the Moby. The K'tan eliminated all of that. 
Around six weeks in, I transitioned from the K'tan to an SSC or a soft structured carrier like the Ergo. For what it's worth, the K'tan can be used from 8lbs. to 35lbs. That's like from newbornhood through pre-school but in order to keep up with the big boys, I needed something with a little more structure to it which is why I changed over to the Ergo. I've used both the Ergo and the comparable Beco Gemini and Beco Soleil and hands down my favorite of the three has been the Gemini, mostly because Collins prefers to be carried on the front, facing out, something that I could only do with my Gemini. From back carry, front carry to hip carry, we've tried and loved them all. I love my Beco carriers so much that I even became an ambassador for their brand!
At nearly 12 months old, I wear Collins daily. Yes, you read that right. I went from having hardly worn my first two babies to wearing my third nearly every single day of the week. Whether I'm running into the grocery store to pick up dinner, taking a family stroll through the neighborhood or just trying to empty the dishwasher, wearing Collins has made my life so. much. easier. 
In fact, here are 5 quick thoughts on baby-wearing from a reformed baby-wearer: 
1. Baby-wearing places your baby at optimum head-sniffing height. This way, you don't even need to sneak a whiff of that sweet smelling baby-ness- it's right there in front of your nose the whole time! 
2. Baby-wearing hides the post-partum belly pooch. At nearly 12 months post partum I wonder how long I can go on calling it that. But whatever the case, wearing your baby hides that extra little fluff around the middle better than SPANX. After all, you can take deep breaths on the regular while baby-wearing, something you can't always do while wearing SPANX. 
3. Baby-wearing allows you to get shit done. Things like emptying the dishwasher, eating your lunch with two hands and zooming Hot Wheels cars along an imaginary track with your three and five year old. 
4. Baby-wearing keeps strangers (and unwanted family members) from touching and/or holding your baby. Headed to a family reunion and don't want people groping your baby? Stick him in a wrap! Problem solved. 
5. Baby-wearing is an easy workout. Have you every tried vacuuming with twenty-seven pounds strapped to your chest? Calories burned, my friend. That's all that matters! 
Oh and did I mention optimum head-sniffing height? Because come on. You know you want to. There are even studies out there that talk about the increased bonding that occurs during baby-wearing, promoting healthy brain activity and all that good stuff- it just makes sense sometimes! 

Recently I started wearing Collins in a ring sling from Rockin Baby. When I first started, it was my first experience using a ring sling and although it took a few YouTube videos to get it just right, I've been a smitten kitten ever since (and judging by his face up there, you can tell he's loving it, too!) 

So what's so great about Rockin' Baby, you say? Well, for every sling purchased, they give away a Hero Sling to mothers who are in desperate need in Haiti and Kenya. That's also pretty amazing, if you ask me. 

I really like the Rose of My Heart reversible fabric sling because it keeps my baby close and my hands free. I also love that it's the perfect pop of floral among a very testosterone-heavy household. Easy to slip on and adjust with just the tug of the fabric, I like to keep my sling in the car and use it when I'm out running errands, such as pick-up and drop-off from pre-school and running into the grocery store.    

The folks at Rockin' Baby love to give and to help others so much that they've offered to give away the very same Rose of My Heart sling to one lucky ILYMTC reader! 

You can enter below using the Rafflecopter widget. Good luck! 

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I received a sling free of charge from the kind folks at Rockin' Baby. 

All thoughts expressed are my own. Additional compensation was not received.