We aren’t referring to using your baby as an accessory (though babies would make beautiful accessories).  Babywearing is the practice of carrying your baby close to you in a carrier such as a mei tai, pouch, ring sling, or wrap.  The opposite would be having your baby in a stroller, swing, bouncer, or carrying the infant car seat around. 

Some parents wear their babies out of necessity because their babies are only happy when they are close. Some parents wear their babies for convenience — hands free and a safe, happy baby.  I started babywearing purely for convenience and because I love holding my babies.  I fell in love with babywearing.  It feels right all the way down to the core of my being.

While wearing your baby you can:

Have a sweet baby head within easy kissing range all day if you choose.

Nurse on the go.

Maneuver clothing racks with ease.

Cook dinner without a little one on your hip or tugging at your leg.

Experience the bliss of having a  sleeping baby snuggled up against you any time of the day.

But in addition to all that convenience and warm fuzzies, worn babies benefit tremendously.  Studies have shown that worn babies are safer, happier, smarter and more secure, among other countless benefits. 

 
For me, my very first carrier was a ring sling.  I just couldn’t figure the ring sling out.  The ring sling is a carrier loved by many, many moms and it just hurt by back.  (I have since figured out how to use a ring sling and am no longer ring sling challenged.)

My second carrier was a mei tai (pronounced “may-tie”) and because of that carrier, I fell completely and utterly in love with babywearing.  But I soon realized it had its limits.  My then 2-year-old wasn’t comfortable in it — she hung in it because it was too narrow across the base for her to sit comfortably.  My newborn, however, was very comfortable in it. 

Then my new baby started to stretch out and acted like she wanted her legs out rather than tucked up against her like she was in the womb.  But the base was too wide for her to have both legs out.  I was heartbroken that my beautiful carrier was now worthless.

So I started playing with the basic design and came up with an adjustable mei tai that really fits from birth to 35 pounds.  Notice how the base fits from knee to knee on a three-week-old and a 3 ½ year old.   Thanks to the adjustable feature, the Silly Goose mei tai carrier is the only mei tai out there that does that.