By ME
The act of wearing babies in carrier dates back for thousands of years. Parents have used a variety of cloths, scarves, and ,more recently, buckles and straps to secure their little ones in a safe and fun way. It wasn’t until the modern invention of things such as strollers, walkers, carriages, etc. that babywearing fell out of popularity.
On a recent visit to the in-laws house, we were pouring over old photos and I came across this one (pardon the grainy shot; it’s a picture of a picture). I was pleasantly surprised to see my Father-in-law wearing Baby Brother-in-law in 1976. (My hubby didn’t come along until 1981.) For giggles, we put our 14 month old babe in the exact same carrier for a sweet moment of sentiment.
We have come a long way in the types of carriers we use and the functional means in which we use baby carriers. Back in the ‘70s, for the most part, babywearing was used as a way to get babies out and about, where a stroller couldn’t go. However, nowadays, parents are babywearing because we know how important it is for a mother and father to bond and connect with their baby. We use carriers to keep our babies close so that we can do things we need to, like go on a hike, or clean the house, dry your hair, cook dinner, or chase after the older children. Babywearing may have its ups and downs in popular culture, but it will stay dear in our hearts forever.
