When Jemma was little, it helped me simply get chores done and keep her happy. I quickly learned that just putting her down in something didn't work. She wanted to be held. After I returned to work, it allowed us to reconnect after a busy day, when she had been missing me and I had missed her.
Once she was older, she was able to see and look around her world, all while safe and secure next to her mama. It saved my sanity during teething when all she wanted was to be held. We went to the zoo without having to lug a stroller and get her in and out everytime she wanted to see an animal.
Now, at 19 months, Jemma still gets carried a few times a week, for errands in a store or today when we went to a large celebration at church. She asks to go "up." She loves to go for rides on Mama's back. A baby carrier is an invaluable tool with a squirmy, wiggly toddler who likes to run in public!
I'm sharing my babywearing experience in the hopes of making a difference. If you remember, earlier this year the Infantino SlingRider and similar "bag slings" were recalled. It is heartbreaking that parents and families who were trying to do a wonderful thing with their children were sold an unsafe product, and even more tragic that children had to die for the recall to occur. Babywearers had been saying for year that bag slings were dangerous. The baby essentially sat in bag or purse, Mom (or Dad) wasn't able to see the baby, and it also placed the child in a poor position for breathing.
Due to the heartbreaking tragedy that occurred with this ONE TYPE of soft carrier, the CPSC has deemed ALL soft carriers to be unsafe and is making a move to recall ALL types of soft baby carriers from the market. (This includes my beloved wraps, ring slings, pouches...and it could go on to include other soft carriers such as mei tais, podegais, etc). The Baby Carrier Industry Alliance has issued an emergency call to action asking for all moms and dads alike to step up and voice their support for babywearing. That is why I am writing today, in the hopes of sharing a positive experience and showing the joy babywearing has brought to my life and my daughter's life. Babywearing has immense benefits to both mom and baby and has been practiced by mothers all over the globe for centuries. This isn’t a new thing. It is safe.
If by some miracle someone from the CPSA happens to read my little blog or any of the other countless stories being posted throughout the internet, I urge you to not recall ALL soft carriers. Instead, talk to the parents who wear their babies everyday about the benefits. Please work with the BCIA in the effort to always manufacture safe soft carriers as you do with every other product you recall.
Thank you for listening.
~Erin
