More than forty years ago my mother began sewing hippie patchwork baby carriers and selling them along with her other fabric creations. Unfortunately none of the carriers that she crafted before I was born survived until my children were born, but the practice of babywearing continues in my family. Although for many, babywearing seems like a new or novel practice, babywearing is a pan-cultural, historic practice for transporting children safely, and for comforting scared, tired, uncomfortable, or unhappy babies and children. Recent attention to the concept of attachment parenting (http://www.askdrsears.com/ http://attachmentparenting.org) has placed a huge emphasis on babywearing and helped expand the popularity and options enormously, but the practice itself is simply the most efficient, logical way to continue living while raising a child!

There are thousands of brands of baby carriers available and the options can be truly overwhelming, especially given the scarcity of carriers in non-internet based stores. So often carriers are only available to purchase online and it is difficult to tell if a carrier will fit you well or be comfortable for you and your baby without getting to try it on. In Brooklyn, stores such as Still Hip and Boing Boing have some carriers available for trying on and purchasing and the local babywearing meetings also provide a nice place to try things out. If you’re up for a trip uptown, Metro Minis also has a great selection and knowledgeable staff to help you make babywearing choices. There are also carriers often stocked in stores like Buy Buy Baby or Target, but these are often not carriers that are highly recommended among people who baby wear often.

What you like in a carrier often depends on just what you want to be able to do while wearing your baby. For example, I often travel on the trains and buses to take my older son to and from classes. This means that we are often on the trains and buses at peak times when a stroller would not only be a hassle for me to get up and down stairs, but would be too space consuming for getting onto packed trains. I like pouches for these time because they keep my baby snuggled up to my chest where I can easily protect him from getting bumped around by the crowds or poked and played with by strangers.

The pouches I carry him are made by Kangaroo Korners, Mammas Milk , and Hotslings. The silk and non-stretchy cotton slings from Mammas Milk and Hotslings gave great support for newborn carrying. I much prefer the more rigid structure of non-stretchy fabrics for starting out with a newborn because the baby is already so floppy that the carrier is often most comfortable when it is a little stiffer. These pouches tend to be easier than ring slings because there is less fabric to contend with and I find parents often are less confused about how to best position baby. If a ring sling is what you’d like, though, Maya Wraps are great and I love them for carrying older kids in also . In the cold months, a fleece pouch from Kangaroo Korners is a wonderful way to snuggle your baby or toddle up to your skin and it pads your shoulder nicely for carrying comfortably. All of these carriers must be purchased in sizes and getting the right size is very important for comfortable carrying. This makes them less ideal for sharing with another parent who is a different size but they tend to be less pricey, so getting more than one is an option.

Pouches do not place the weight of your baby evenly on your body, since they hang on one shoulder or the other, and so when I am walking around the neighborhood or cleaning in my house, I grab a carrier that I can put on my back. One of my favorite options is the Babyhawk which can be used with a newborn to snuggle against your chest in a front-carry or with an older baby, toddler, or child as a back carrier. They have amazing fabric selections, well-padded straps, and great craftsmanship. I also love my Kozy Carrier, which I carried my son in until 40 pounds when he needed a lift. Both of these carriers are Asian-inspired Mei Tais and there are hundreds of other options available for Mei Tais. I highly recommend a carrier with padded straps unless you have a very lightweight baby/child and are not concerned about getting sore shoulders. These carriers can be used similarly to a Bjorn or Snugglie (but without the concerns about spinal damage because you are not letting the baby’s legs dangle out of the carrier, instead their whole body is tucked inside the carrier with no stress on the spine).

Similar to Mei Tais in terms of how you can hold the baby, are several popular forms of soft structured carriers such as the 4th Generation Beco (which are no longer being made because of lawsuits over copyrights to this style carrier but if you can find one used, I highly recommend it) and the ever-popular Ergo . These carriers are very similar to the Mei Tais but instead of tying the straps, they come with clips, buckles, and adjusters. If you prefer this, these are a great option, as is carriers like the Hip Hammock (which is my husband’s favorite carrier) or the Walking Rock Farm Hip Baby Carriers . The Ergo does have an infant insert to make it possible to use this carrier from birth, but these soft structured carriers tend to be best after your baby can hold its own head up well, beginning around 4 –6 months old.

There are also structured carriers, such as hiking backpacks, which are great for use in outdoor contexts where space is not tight. I love the line of metal frame backpacks made by Kelty Kids but in the city, these can be difficult to maneuver since they make turning around in tight store aisle difficult and they take up almost as much space as a stroller in your house (unlike all of the carriers above, which can easily be tucked into a bag while you are out). For hiking trips or even just doing the dishes, this is a very comfortable carrier that is well designed to offer lots of back support.

Finally, many baby wearers swear by wraps, such as the German-made Didymos , the Ella Roo , or the Moby Wrap . These carriers offer an amazing range of ways to carry your baby (front, back, hip, newborn, toddler, child), they are easy to nurse a newborn in, and they can be worn by any one who wants to carry your child (unlike pouches, for example, that come in specific sizes). They have a higher learning curve and can be difficult to get used to if you have a crying baby you are trying to get tied up. I don’t recommend them to first time babywearing parents because of this, but they are an amazing resource if you are willing to spend some time experimenting with how to get them on and off.

I cannot say enough good things about babywearing for both parents and children. It comforts babies and children, keeps them warm and safe, brings them up to eye level for socializing, and makes communicating so much easier. Many women can nurse in their carriers, often while walking around and doing other things, and most babies will nod off to sleep in a carrier when you take them walking. They are a great way for dads to sooth fussy babies or for other family members to help out (my mom swears by the Kangaroo Korners fleece pouch now and takes my baby for walks with her donkeys in the mornings when we visit her). Also, for negotiating multiple children, it is a blessing, since you are free to use your hands to help older children.

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