From the moment I found out I was pregnant with Mabel I knew
I wanted to try baby wearing. For some reason, with Luca I didn’t wear him at
all. But as soon as all of these trendy moms started popping up on my Instagram
feed, wrapping and slinging their snuggly little baby bundles I instantly regretted
not sharing that experience with Luca. I knew the second I had another baby I
was going to hop on the baby-wearing bandwagon, and my goodness I haven’t
looked back since.Sure, wearing your baby – especially your second baby – is all sorts of convenient. I want to take Luca out, but Mabel needs a nap: baby wear. Time to go to church, but service times out right when Mabel needs her morning nap: baby wear. I really need to clean up the kitchen but Mabel is teething and being extra clingy: baby wear. I could go on and on with the convenience factor, but what I didn’t know when I started wearing Mabel was that wearing her and keeping her close meant so much more than convenience...
It makes perfect sense. Your baby spends nine months growing inside you, hearing your heart beat, snuggled warm and cozy completely connected to you, their mommy. But then they enter this bright, cold world and we just expect them to quickly adapt and be their own person. We lay them in their swing, on the floor, in their crib. Teaching them how to be alone and independent. And don’t get me wrong, that’s good. I of all people am not one to judge that - I had both my babies sleeping in their cribs, alone by a week old. But what I didn’t realize with Luca and I truly learned once I had Mabel, is sometimes a baby just needs their mommy. The touch of your skin, the thump of your familiar heartbeat, to be close to the person who they were completely connected to for those long, nine months. During the first few months of their life, a baby doesn’t even know how to identify themselves without their mother. To them, you are the same person. They want and they need to feel close.
And of course as mothers we want that too. Gosh I wish I could just hold my babies all day long. We need that connection as well, but the pull of everyday life has a way of making that very difficult. As mothers we always have something to clean, somewhere to be and it is so easy to just lay your baby down on the floor or put them in their car seat – and again, that’s often what happens and that is completely okay and normal. But this, my friends, is why baby wearing is so magical. Just pop that baby into your wrap and keep on keeping on with your everyday life. Wearing your baby doesn’t stop you from cleaning or getting out of the house with your older children. It just allows you to do those things while keeping your baby close and snuggled up with you, exactly where they want to be. I can’t rave about it enough.
I started wearing Mabel in our Beluga Baby Wrap** a few weeks after she was born. She loved it right away and still does today at eight and a half months old. In fact, when I get out my wrap she knows I’m going to wear her now, and she starts smiling and bouncing up and down waiting for me to pick her up and snuggle her close. If she’s ever having a fussy day or didn’t get the nap she should have, I just strap her to my chest and she’s almost always happy as can be. It calms her when we both need it and keeps her safe and cozy when we’re out and about. I love that she loves being worn! And I’m so glad I get to experience this wonderful bond with her.
Wearing Mabel in a wrap is by far the comfiest way I’ve found to wear her! I’ve linked the exact Beluga Baby wrap we use here. The bamboo material they use is so stretchy and insanely soft! The fabric is also super breathable and Mabel never feels too hot or uncomfortable while I’m wearing her. While I also love wearing Mabel in a sling, one thing I’ve noticed is that over time my shoulder that carries all the weight starts hurting, but with the wrap the weight of the baby is distributed evenly so I never feel uncomfortable at all! Half the time I feel like I’m barely wearing her the wrap is so light and comfy!
And I can promise you, there’s not a much better feeling in this world than wearing your baby and having them fall asleep on your chest. Completely happy, relaxed and snuggled up to you. As Mabel gets older, those moments have become few and far between, but it still happens every once in awhile and I soak it up every time! I think I’ve truly become one of those crazy, baby-wearing obsessed mamas… And you know what, I’m totally okay with that.
**Disclaimer: I’m not one to just promote a product unless I truly love it. I was gifted our wrap in exchange for my opinions and a review. My opinions on baby wearing and the Beluga Wrap are mine and mine alone and based completely on my experience wearing Mabel. And I can honestly say, we truly love our wrap!!
