The day begins with a fairly fear-free ruck for a walk to the shops. I have a spring in my step as I feel like I’m starting to become a ‘real’ wrapper. Yes, one of those awe-inspiring babywearers who will grab a wrap even if there’s something else she could use instead. I have to admit I’m a little disappointed that I haven’t had any comments yet about my beautiful wrap… or gasps of wonder at my mind-boggling wrapping skills. At playgroup yesterday nobody batted an eyelid…. but then I used to turn up regularly wearing two children, in clashing psychedelic print carriers, so this must look pretty tame in comparison.
The shopping centre is complete sensory overload for kids: some serious wriggling begins on my back and my shoulders start to ache. That’s the wonderful thing about a wrap, I find myself thinking, as I take Meena off my back, I can just retie using a different carry and redistribute the weight. Hmmm…. wait a minute… if I was using another carrier, I wouldn’t have aching shoulders in the first place… My philosophising comes to an abrupt halt as I discover just how much mayhem is unleashed when Meena is running around loose in a toyshop for the first time.
I let her have some fun for a while before I grab her and weigh up my wrapping options. I could do a SHBC, a BWCC – both of which give me a sinking feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach – or I can forget about experimentation and look and feel cool, confident and relaxed as I put her back in a ruck.
I put her in a ruck. Hey, it’s more comfortable than the ring sling I often have her in for shopping.
An hour later she’s still there, fast asleep, her head lolling a little. She doesn’t have as much head support as she would get from a mei tai hood, but then I don’t have to go through humiliating public contortions to get the hood up. Emmy and I are jubilant as we realise we can actually have a leisurely visit to the library, without Meena running amok pulling books off the shelves.
Why do we choose certain carriers for specific times and places? I nearly always do back carries with Meena these days, and yet when I look at photos of Emmy at the same age, she’s often in a front carry. I was less confident back carrying in those days, but it was also about being in crowded places in India and wanting her within sight; and I had great front-carry muscles built up from carrying a baby who was 10kg at seven months.
There are so many different influences that determine what carry we prefer to use; and in the end it often just comes down to habit and our perceptions about what works or what’s easiest, rather than the reality. When I go shopping with the car I always reach for a ring sling because it’s so quick and easy and hip carries seem like the best option for a happy baby. But considering it only takes a few moments more to put Meena in a back carry, and the fact that she’s usually perfectly happy for up to two hours on my back, I wonder why I regularly spend an hour trawling round the shops with a fidgety baby on my hip trying to grab things.
I thought it would be limiting using just a wrap for a week but it’s been strangely liberating. It’s made me realise I could probably do the same with just about any good carrier – the possibilities are there as soon you step out of your comfort zone.
ok Sarah – you’ve inspired me. I only ever wrap at home and MTor RS when out and about, but now I’ve spent the last 2 consecutive days wrapping while out and intend to keep doing so for at least the rest of this week (today was our first public twin wrap in a very long time). TFS
That’s great! I’ve found that it really helps to just make yourself do it even when you don’t feel like it…. and then it’s not nearly as bad as you dreaded. My wrapping has improved over the week… but more than that my fear of wrapping has reduced. I think that the fear of doing it in public is the biggest problem we face.