Toddler-wearing?

As some of you may already know, it's International Babywearing Week (yay!!!) so I figured I should do an update on our babywearing practices now that Ethan is a toddler and is constantly on the move. When I think back to wearing him in those early days, I realize that so much has changed and yet not a lot has changed at all! Being worn still comforts him. He still likes cuddling into my chest. Babywearing still allows me to get things done around the house and with schoolwork. And it still puts him to sleep. I don't wear him quite as much, perhaps, but I still wear him any time we're running errands, for our daily walks around the neighborhood, and sometimes around the house if he needs to cuddle but I need to be hands-free.

I remember defending my choice to let Ethan nap in the wrap past the 2 month "recommended" cut-off by saying I would make him stop eventually. I mean, he wouldn't still be one and napping in the wrap, right? Heh. The main difference is now I don't feel the need to defend it. Ethan does take his afternoon nap in the crib for consistency since I have to leave during his nap two days a week, but he will continue to take his morning nap in the wrap until he drops it. It's our morning non-nursing cuddle time, and there's no way I'm giving it up as long as he wants it! It also forces me to be still for a while since he stirs more easily now, so it makes me take the time to relax and just enjoy him.


So what am I carrying him in nowadays? The Moby is long gone, of course. He takes his morning nap in the Amazonas woven wrap, but that's about all we use that wrap for now, unless I'm putting him on my back in a Double Hammock. The ring sling is still my go-to for quick errands and often for our walks. My (semi-)new Girasol woven wrap (aka Glace), which is featured in all these pictures, is my go-to for longer errands (like grocery shopping) and for our walks, though I've been known to use it for quick errands too since I love it oh so much! The Ergo lives in the car trunk just in case I forget to grab one of the others on my way out the door. And the mei tai is currently living in my closet since I'm just not reaching for it as much lately.

Isn't he getting heavy? Maybe, but I don't really notice it. The funny thing is that I DO notice how heavy he's gotten if I'm carrying him in my arms for any distance, but in a carrier, his weight is distributed evenly enough that it doesn't bother me at all.


Am I worried carrying him still will make him lazy or delay him developmentally? Well, he walked at 9 months, despite being carried a good portion of his life to that point. I'm not concerned. Sometimes even big kids need to ride. Would it phase you at all to see a one-year-old in a stroller? So why should it bother you to see one in a carrier?

While I know babywearing may not feature as prominently in our daily lives as the months go on, I will continue to wear Ethan as long as he wants because it's just one more way for us to bond. It makes my life easier, which makes me a happier mom, which makes him a happier toddler. And at the end of the day, that's all I can really ask for!