Babywearing Burns Calories
I thought I would write a little bit about "babywearing" today. It's something I'm pretty passionate about. I absolutely love to wear my babies. That sounds weird, doesn't it? Basically it means that I carry my kids around in baby carriers throughout the day. It keeps us close, touching, and bonded. It comforts my kids, it keeps me hands-free, and it basically makes our lives SO much easier.
When my daughter (14 months old) was born, she would not stop crying. So I had a wrap that I wore to keep her close to me and it seriously was the only thing that would make her stop crying. Doctor said it was colic. It was awful, but babywearing got us through it. I started off with a stretchy wrap. That is how my babywearing days began.
But then I finally had enough money to buy a woven wrap. Stretchy wraps are great for babies when they are tiny and squishy, but as they grow, the stretchy wrap will stretch and become uncomfortable. So I bought my first woven wrap, a Neobulle Margot size 6. Then that started my obsession with wovens. I soon had a Neobulle Simon, a Girasol Rainforest, and now I have a Girasol Tahoe. I have also owned an Ergo.
I really loved the Ergo but felt like my daughter grew out of it too fast. It is a lot quicker to use than a wrap. I originally bought it because I was having trouble with back carries in a wrap. In an Ergo, back carries are a breeze.
After the Ergo, I had to try a Kinderpack. I bought the Kinderpack specifically for my toddler. It is HUGE!
Then I had to try a mei tai. Now I am trying a ring sling. So. Many. Carriers. Seriously. I have a problem. And I love all of them.
Anyway, the main point of this post was to tell you a bit about babywearing and to point out that when you are carrying your babies, you burn way more calories than if you are just pushing them in a stroller. It's true. I wear my heart rate monitor while wearing my kids and I burn crazy, insane calories. That alone is enough for me to strap a kid on my back. But really, snuggling with my kids is truly the very best part of babywearing.
I still wear my 3 year old, 33 pound toddler. Sometimes it's the only way I can get him to be still and snuggle with me. He asks to get up on my back. Especially when he doesn't feel well. It is comforting for him to be so close to mama. My 14 month old is just now starting to ask to get up. It is the sweetest thing in the world when she brings me the wrap or the mei tai and says "Up!"
So, here are a gazillion pictures of me wearing my babies. The fun part is you can totally see how as my baby gets older, I have lost weight. In the pictures where she is younger, I am chubbier. Fun to see my progress. But these pictures are in no particular order. Another day I really want to touch more on the benefits of babywearing and babywearing safety, but alas, I do not have time in this post.
When my daughter (14 months old) was born, she would not stop crying. So I had a wrap that I wore to keep her close to me and it seriously was the only thing that would make her stop crying. Doctor said it was colic. It was awful, but babywearing got us through it. I started off with a stretchy wrap. That is how my babywearing days began.
But then I finally had enough money to buy a woven wrap. Stretchy wraps are great for babies when they are tiny and squishy, but as they grow, the stretchy wrap will stretch and become uncomfortable. So I bought my first woven wrap, a Neobulle Margot size 6. Then that started my obsession with wovens. I soon had a Neobulle Simon, a Girasol Rainforest, and now I have a Girasol Tahoe. I have also owned an Ergo.
I really loved the Ergo but felt like my daughter grew out of it too fast. It is a lot quicker to use than a wrap. I originally bought it because I was having trouble with back carries in a wrap. In an Ergo, back carries are a breeze.
After the Ergo, I had to try a Kinderpack. I bought the Kinderpack specifically for my toddler. It is HUGE!
Then I had to try a mei tai. Now I am trying a ring sling. So. Many. Carriers. Seriously. I have a problem. And I love all of them.
Anyway, the main point of this post was to tell you a bit about babywearing and to point out that when you are carrying your babies, you burn way more calories than if you are just pushing them in a stroller. It's true. I wear my heart rate monitor while wearing my kids and I burn crazy, insane calories. That alone is enough for me to strap a kid on my back. But really, snuggling with my kids is truly the very best part of babywearing.
I still wear my 3 year old, 33 pound toddler. Sometimes it's the only way I can get him to be still and snuggle with me. He asks to get up on my back. Especially when he doesn't feel well. It is comforting for him to be so close to mama. My 14 month old is just now starting to ask to get up. It is the sweetest thing in the world when she brings me the wrap or the mei tai and says "Up!"
So, here are a gazillion pictures of me wearing my babies. The fun part is you can totally see how as my baby gets older, I have lost weight. In the pictures where she is younger, I am chubbier. Fun to see my progress. But these pictures are in no particular order. Another day I really want to touch more on the benefits of babywearing and babywearing safety, but alas, I do not have time in this post.
I was just curious how do you get the baby on your back? Does someone have to help you? I would love to wear my son on my back through out the day but I am home by myself all day.
ReplyDeleteI get my baby on my back all by myself! It took a lot of practice though! I remember trying and crying when my baby was younger because I jut couldn't do it. I use the "hip scoot" method to get her on my back and my favorite back carry is called the "double hammock." Do you have a wrap? Wearing her on my back allows me to get so much done. It is such an amazing feeling when you finally get them on your back. Let me know if I can help you!
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