Yet Another Reason I Love Babywearing

Since Isaac was born, I've become something of a germophobe. It's funny, people always say that you're less worried about things with your second child than you were with your first, but for me, it's been the exact opposite. When I had Elijah, I was 18 years old and still in that stage where I believed that nothing bad would really happen to me or anyone I loved. I never worried much about him getting hurt or getting sick. With Isaac, though, I'm much more cautious.

With cold and flu season upon us, I'm trying to be mindful of ways to reduce our chances of getting sick. So when I realized that I had to take Isaac with me to the grocery store this morning, I inwardly cringed as I imagined all the germs. The handles of the cart. People touching him. People in general. Sure, I could put him in the seat that's built into the cart, but I was horrified by the thought of him putting his hands all over it, and maybe even chewing on the cart handle (since mouthing things is how babies explore their world, and is especially a favorite pastime of teething babies). I could keep him strapped in his infant carseat and haul him and the seat into the store and perch it precariously on top of my cart while I shopped, but I did learn a very important lesson when Elijah was a baby: carrying around a baby in an infant seat is a pain in the... well, neck, shoulders, arms, and back. That is an error I have been careful not to repeat this time around.

I've been trying out a lovely ring sling that a good friend let me borrow, and this seemed like a wonderful opportunity to use it again. I could keep my baby close to me, where people are less likely to touch him. I could still use both hands to shop. And I wouldn't have to worry about him putting his hands and mouth all over the cart, or deal with carrying around a heavy baby-carseat combination.

So that's just what I did, and it was wonderful. Well, as wonderful as a Walmart trip can be, anyway. I don't understand why more people don't wear their babies. Even if you totally ignore all the benefits babywearing has for the baby (and there are many!), it seems to me that the convenience factor alone would be enough to get people interested.