Moby Moments: Reflections on Babywearing

It is hard to imagine that only 10 (short) months ago I hadn’t heard the term “baby wearing” before.  It is harder still to imagine that we had not yet met our son, Caleb (we often wonder what we did with ourselves before this little one made our family into three).   Imagining life without Caleb is almost as strange as imagining Caleb without our moby wrap!

There are many things I’ve enjoyed these past 9 months but right up there close to the top has got to be carrying my little one around in my arms or tied securely in a wrap or carrier of one type or another.  These moments of walking with his blond little head sleeping on my chest or his big blue eyes starring inquisitively up at me or his chubby little hands patting my cheek, have been the substance that memories are made of.   I love smelling the sweet baby smell of the top of his head, feeling his warm body snuggled in close, whispering to him all about the big world around us, and watching him soak it all up.  Babywearing has been said to calm and soothe baby….I’d have to take that one step further and say it is balm for mama’s spirit too.

I’m not sure about your kiddos but my baby boy has been growing up way too fast and I am having trouble believing just how much a little person can change in only 9 months.   It occurred to me recently (while he was experimenting with standing on his own!!) that it is only a matter of time before he leaves my arms to walk independently on his own (first in the literal sense and then in not too many years a more figurative one).

I was lamenting this sad fact with my husband the other night on one of our evening walks, with Caleb wrapped up tight in our moby.  He smiled and said “Isn’t that a good thing? Isn’t that what babies are supposed to do?  I guess that just means we’ll have to start on #2!”  I was thinking more along the lines of something less extreme (like maybe making Caleb stay little forever?).   We must have been in a nostalgic mood because we went on to reminisce about our many “moby moments”:  the first time we tried it and Caleb wasn’t convinced, the long hours when he didn’t want to sleep and it was the only thing that would settle him down, the first trip to the zoo, walks by the river, going to the park, the first time daddy tried the moby (and loved it), walks around the block, explaining the moby wrap to skeptical curious strangers, running errands to our neighborhood health food store, the farmer’s market on Saturdays, our evening family walk, Caleb’s increasing excitement for “bye bye” and on our list went…..

I suppose one of these days he will outgrow his moby but my husband is right:   little babies were meant to grow and mamas are meant to be here to help them gain their independence, step out on their own feet and walk their own road of life.  For now, I’ll just cherish these babywearing moments and take one day and one milestone at a time.

By Sarah H.