I'm Wearing My Baby!

Babywearing is not a new phenomenon in the Philippines. In fact, I've seen many Igorot mothers wear their babies. I think most national minorities practice babywearing, waaay before it became a fad.

A man from the Bontoc tribe

A Kalinga woman

An Aeta mom

Baby wearing has very practical and economical roots. For one, it's very simple. Baby slings and pouches we see and can buy today are simple enough, but the "original" wraps/slings/pouches are even simpler. They are usually just thin blankets, or sarong/indigenous woven cloth wrapped in such a way that baby is kept close to mom's body and secure. For another, you won't need a babysitter if you can carry baby around while doing your chores.

I originally brought my wraparound skirt to the hospital thinking that I can use this to carry my baby around. But it wasn't as easy as it looked on the videos that I've seen. It could also be that my newborn is still too fragile to be worn.

By baby's first month, when he has already doubled his birthweight and craddling him gives me sore muscles, I decided to buy myself a baby sling from RJellybean. Actually, I had a baby pouch made from a pattern a had downloaded online. But the fit wasn't right. I think the measurements are for the westerners who had bigger built. Anyhoo, I did buy a sling online, from Sulit.com, which was slightly used.

The minute I got home from picking up my purchase, I was so excited to try it. I opened the package which still had the original instructional cd, and put it on. I've only tried two positions, considering baby's age, the cradle carry and the tummy-to-tummy.

The cradle carry is something I cannot understand. It looks easy enough on the video, but my baby fusses when I put him in. I'm not too comfortable either because I think I'm squishing my baby. After several failed attempts, I was tempted to put my baby sling on sale out of frustration!

But then I tried the tummy-to-tummy carry one day, and he loved it! He was quiet, content and fell asleep immediately. It was easier for me to do too!

In this photo, he just turned a month old. I was feeling more confident to wear him because his neck muscles have gotten a lot stronger and can hold his head up longer.

I love my sling which gives me the freedom to move around the house with my baby. I love it because it's a simple, no fuss baby accessory. The fabric is breathable too, which is a concern, since we are in a tropical country afterall. I didn't mind that it's in pink even if my baby's a boy. It's me who'll be wearing it, right?

Smiles!