In Case You Were Wondering Why We Babywear

I wear my baby to reduce spitup, to keep baby calm, to help baby sleep.

I wear my baby for me, too. To allow me to have my hands free, to help me run errands even during naptime, for the comfort of not just the baby being close but also the wrap hugging me back. 

I wear my toddler because big emotions can be calmed by snuggles, for safety in parking lots, because their little legs often can't keep up with our big legs, and because it's way more fun to chat with a chipper toddler in a wrap than to chase a rowdy one in the store.

But sometimes it is more. 

Sometimes we are too tired, or depressed, or overwhelmed to coo at baby and play little games or really do much of anything at all. Babywearing can give us some segments of our days when we are, without using a lot of energy and emotional labor, taking awesome care of our children no matter how drained or sad or raw we are. 

If you are one of the many caregivers experiencing postpartum anxiety or depression, or struggling with overwhelming life events, may you have professional support, loving people in your life who listen and actively support you, and tools to help you in your day-to-day work of raising babies. 

We see you, and we love you, because so many of us have been there. 

-- Bijou Babywearing

[Image thanks to Beautiful People Portraiture by Kelly Lenza. Photo of a white woman in a kitchen barely smiling holding a plastic grocery bag and wearing a zoned-out toddler in a gold ring sling. Her grade school aged daughter stands next to her and also looks seriously at the camera.]