Babywearing Cures the Common Cold!

Okay, maybe not.  But when your toddler or preschooler gets a cold and suddenly wants to be no where more than on top of you, babywearing is the answer for your little one's comfort and for your sanity.

A couple weeks ago I noticed a post on Facebook that a friend had a sick 2yr old who was being clingy and mom was getting "touched out."  I knew this mama had worn her child, but probably thought she'd "aged out."  I suggested a carrier and she said, "you know, that's a good idea, let me dust off the Ergo."  Sometimes we can dismiss babywearing as an option as our children get bigger, but really, nothing comforts babies, toddlers, or even big kids more than mama (or daddy) cuddles when they aren't feeling their best. 

It can also be a big help when you have another littler one to wear.  Sickness is exactly the time to bust out tandem wearing.  This also conveniently keeps the hands of the sick one behind you and off of the baby.

When wearing a sick little one you can monitor fevers (since they are right against you, you'll notice the temperature change), you can more easily monitor how many fluids they are taking, and you can give them the TLC they truly want without feeling like you've been trapped on the couch all day.  So, if your little one has been hit by a bug, break out your carrier and give wearing a try!

Babywearing Triplets: SuperDad is my Valentine

In this edition of Babywearing Triplets, I’d like to take a moment to write about my valentine and mention how lucky I am to have him. Many people see me or write to me and tell me what an inspiration I am, how I have it all together, how they don’t know how I do it, and that I must be supermom. Absolutely not! I am decidedly average, rarely have it together, and am not super mom: just pretty good mom.  I am, however, married to super dad (or as we call him, super pop).  My husband Dan is the only reason that this family is still standing and is thriving through all the stresses and complications we have been through.
From the moment we found out I was pregnant with triplets Dan decided to take over everything. He has always been protective of me when I was pregnant and been an incredibly active dad, but he has gone above and beyond in the past year. He single handedly prepared our home to show for renters by packing up and storing all of our junk. Then he did all the work to move us to our new home, as the doctor told me I could not participate and could only oversee the unpacking. Dan joined Costco and began doing all the shopping for our family. He works from home and began doing quite a bit of work during my 2 year old’s nap time or in the evening so that he could care for the kids during most of the day.

Since the babies have been home Dan has been amazing. He has always worn our children as a method of calming them, and his skills are serving him well. He spends his day working in the kitchen so that he can make calls and send emails while loving our babies and running our home. He does everything from laundry to dishes to discipline. At night he sleeps with a baby on his chest, when necessary, and brings them to me when they want to nurse so that I don’t have to get out of bed. Dan is the reason that I look so good. He is the reason that our family is smiling and still intact. Many people have said that “if anybody can do this, you can do it” and I have often thought there must be a reason that we were chosen to have all these children. Truly, Dan is the reason. He is completely invested in our family every day. 
 
No, I’m not super mom, but I am married to super pop. So this year for Valentine’s Day I bought him his own manly carrier so he can stop borrowing mine and hiding the pink print. Happy Valentine’s Day to my wonderful Valentine. Who knew I could be so lucky?

Babywearing the Next Generation

My girls have watched me wear them and their siblings.  They've seen me teach others to wear their babies.  I know they have some idea that babies should be worn. My 13mo old, when given a baby doll, took her doll, hugged her, and then tried to toss her on her back.  She obviously knows where babies belong.  I tied her baby on to take this picture, she was excited, then fell and Lorelei (her doll) hit her head on a cabinet.  Teagan was VERY concerned that she'd bumped the baby in the carrier, reaching back to pat baby's head.  She even knows how important it is to make sure your baby is safe in the carrier at all times.

Yesterday, the value of sharing babywearing with my children was brought home to me.  We went to visit my oldest daughter in kindergarten with her grandmothers for grandparents' day.  The kids were at computer when we first arrived and my middle daughter was feeling shy in a room of adults.  Her grandmother took her to look at the bookshelf.  One of the books was The Rainbabies by Laura K. Melmed.  I have no idea what the book was about, but it has a lady and 6 tiny babies on the cover.  My mother-in-law asked Siobhan what she would do with SIX babies.  She answered immediately, "wear them in 3 carriers."  Aww, what a good little mommy. 

I'm confident that the next generation is going to benefit from our children knowing that the best way to care for a baby (or six) is to wear them.