baby wearing criticism

sushilove15 · July 2015

I had no idea that there are quite a few people out there that feel pretty strongly AGAINST babywearing. I came across this article where a mother was shamed for it by a store manager at a mall in Florida.

https://www.khou.com/story/news/nation/2015/07/01/facebook-post-critical-baby-wearing/29552653/

I have 2 baby carriers that I will be using! It just makes sense to me. I actually don't see any cons to it.

What are your thoughts on this? Are you planning on using a baby carrier? Has anyone here ever received criticism for babywearing?

Edit* I do see that she was carrying her 5 year old. But I have heard it is a debate for some people and others have been judged based on their decision to do so!

drummondst · July 2015

Yep I'm definitely going to give it a go! How utterly bizarre that someone could take issue with baby wearing but I suppose some people find a problem with everything!

holli0801 · July 2015

How is that different than giving a five year old a piggy back ride? People judge far too easily.

Yes we have several and I can't fathom a good reason not to use them (other than personal preference of course...)

archetypeblonde · July 2015

It is pretty taboo to wear a 5 year old who is perfectly capable of walking, but it isn't anyone else's business what's best for that mom and child. I'd honestly have a hard time not stealing a glance or two if I saw that in a store... but I certainly wouldn't snap a picture and pass judgment publicly.

KaylaLovesNoah · July 2015

I'll probably use one. As long as it's not too hot and you're using the carrier correctly, I don't see the big deal

cseley321 · July 2015

I plan to try it while she is small. I've never had a problem with it.

ChristyM87 · July 2015

I am looking forward to baby wearing. Even my husband is excited to wear the baby

acciocoffee · July 2015

I am absolutely using a baby carrier! It's easier than lugging around a car seat or pushing a bulky stroller. We actually got two of them: a soft Boba Wrap for me and a normal carrier for my husband. It also will be great for those times when I really just don't want to share my baby with other people. Nobody is going to try to take her out of her nice comfy wrap!

gulimz · July 2015

My hubby and I are so excited to try out our baby k'tans! The only person that's criticizing is my mother because she swears we will drop her....

CaliforniaDream87 · July 2015

Mothers are judged for everything, seriously.

I plan to baby wear for the first few months as I did with DS. I'm not interested in BW after that though. I plan to use the hell out of my stroller after about 3 months.

To each their own.

ChristyM87 · July 2015

gulimz said:
My hubby and I are so excited to try out our baby k'tans! The only person that's criticizing is my mother because she swears we will drop her....

I really liked the Ktan but ended up with a Moby since I found an awesome deal on one. I want to get comfortable with baby wearing and then see in a few months if I am doing it enough to justify a Tula or an Ergo

mrswiebe09 · July 2015

I have a Moby type wrap I'd like to try. I never did get the hang of it with DS.
If I was a store manager I would looove to see a baby/kid wearer. That means the kid isn't running around destroying things! Shame on that woman for what she did. I see her supervisors we not happy at all with what she did.

mariafordon · July 2015

We're really excited to try baby wearing. I can't image trying to push a stroller up our street, it's a really steep hill. Plus I've hear a lot of people say they like baby wearing around the house to get things done.
I also think it's so wrong for a manager of a store to take a picture of someone with their kid and post it on social media.

deviduke412 · July 2015

I am going to use a baby carrier out in public while shopping, etc. But...I am personally against baby wearing at home (as in carrying your baby around at home all the time and never putting him down).

hclzmm14 · July 2015

I use a wrap or carrier when grocery shopping, around the house, or in places where I feel like a stroller would take up too much room. I will use it again with this baby and I will also try to use the hell out of my stroller too because it was $500 lol... I think if you wanna do it you should because you definitely won't regret it.

ChristyM87 · July 2015

deviduke412 said:
I am going to use a baby carrier out in public while shopping, etc. But...I am personally against baby wearing at home (as in carrying your baby around at home all the time and never putting him down).

I think it depends on the baby and the situation. If you have a fussy or colicky baby wearing them maybe the only way for you to get anything done

toccoaparker · July 2015

Even though this is my third child it will be my first time baby wearing; I'm so excited! Baby wearing is not the norm in my small town so I'm sure I will be catching many side eyes :-B

CaliforniaDream87 · July 2015

ChristyM87 said:

deviduke412 said:
I am going to use a baby carrier out in public while shopping, etc. But...I am personally against baby wearing at home (as in carrying your baby around at home all the time and never putting him down).
I think it depends on the baby and the situation. If you have a fussy or colicky baby wearing them maybe the only way for you to get anything done

Exactly. I swear, perspective is everything. If you've never had your own newborn it's really hard to say what you will and will not do.

As a newborn, it was absolutely CRITICAL to wear my baby around the house. If I didnt, nothing would've been done. Nothing. I was able to be mobile and baby was able to be held which is what newborns need in the beginning. I also don't believe in "spoiling" babies so that could be another reason I disagree with this sentiment.

breezymeema7 · July 2015

I am definitely pro baby wearing. I just like the convenience of strapping a baby or toddler on and carrying on with life. I will choose my stroller though if I know there will be lots of in and outs.

breezymeema7 · July 2015

Also...DD1 had really bad colic for the first 6 months. Wearing her in the moby was the only thing that kept her quiet and me sane.

sushilove15 · July 2015

CaliforniaDream87 said:
Mothers are judged for everything, seriously.

I plan to baby wear for the first few months as I did with DS. I'm not interested in BW after that though. I plan to use the hell out of my stroller after about 3 months.

To each their own.

Really though! I'm not even a mom yet and I am already receiving judgement for many things that I plan on doing!

Examples: 1. newborn photos are a waste of money, they aren't worth it, and I am fretting over it too much (I can assure you I am not "fretting"). 2. We got an Angelcare monitor and I got a 15 minute lecture from my MIL that I am a "helicopter" parent and I can't protect my child from everything (referring to the breathing monitor that comes with it).

Already having to get used to people's criticism!

abbybaby19 · July 2015

I wish i had discovered babywearing earlier. My son was one of those babies that had to be held all of the time. Now I have a Moby and an Ergo and Im so excited to get to use them. Babywearing is one of those things that may not be for everyone, but its definitely for me!

xsunshinelady15 · July 2015

I received 2 wraps 1 Ergo during a baby convention and one Beco as a raffle prize. I will be utilizing both of those bad boys, but just until 6 months to a year tops. I want to save my back. Also I am in LOVE with the Cybex Priam stroller and as soon as that baby come in off of pre-order I am sure I will be addicted to using it. I will always have a carrier in the car though sometimes it is just convenient to have them on you and your hands free. Opinions are like a*%holes every one has them, but we can't drive ourselves crazy worrying about what someone else thinks or we would be sacks of mush all the time.

JSmith42514 · July 2015

I guess I will have the UO today. I think baby wearing is great and convenient however when your child is old enough to walk and your just going into the store to get bracelets because said child is sick, I will side eye you. Would I go out of my way to post something on Facebook? Definitely not because to each their own and I respect people's decisions when it comes to their children, but you will get a side eye from me.

bhargrave88 · July 2015

Sorry but no one knows what this child is like either. What if she has sensory issues or autism and sounds in the mall overwhelm the child and causes her to bolt off? Sure you can hold their hand or put them in a cart or stroller, but that won't comfort a child like my daughter. And there are times I have to go into the mall for my rings to be serviced. And my daughter would either try to bolt if she was walking with me, or start crying if confined to a stroller or cart, along with covering her ears and trying to get to me. And in my case, it's easier for all parties to wear her on my back. I do let me daughter walk, and bring a stroller, but I always bring a carrier because the close contact with me is the only thing that works for us (this could change with time, and that's fine too! But I'm going off what works for now)
I'm not saying it doesn't look a little odd to see her carrying such a large child, but I dang sure wouldn't judge her without knowing.

bhargrave88 · July 2015

I've had three people I know personally tell me I should let my daughter just "deal with it", because I won't always be around. And they have to learn to handle it, and not be treated differently and that my child is too big for carrying and I should have her in a cart, not hold her... Seriously! that's easy for you to say when you've never experienced a sensory overload, felt your child's whole body tremble, and scream with their ears covered in a terrified frenzy. Yeah. I'm just going to sit there and watch that. My daughter is very independent, but I also know her cues, her triggers, and what bothers her.
I don't treat her differently because she has autism, but I'm also not going to knowingly let her suffer and get all worked up to the point where she can't breathe and pukes everywhere all because you think I may look crazy carrying her around.
Granted I plan to offer the carrier to her til she is 4 or 5 and probably not thereafter, but hopefully by then we have other methods of coping and dealing and she will be able to talk and communicate better. But I'm mr going to just stop because of someone's opinion.

kedbach · July 2015

I'm going to try, but I definitely don't see myself doing it when my child is 5! That's a heavy kid! [-X

sushilove15 · July 2015

@bhargrave88 that is so true! You have to do what's best for your child. No one is in a place to judge!

tarheelgirl8 · July 2015

OK I have two issues with this. #1 who is this person to cast judgement on someone they've never met? #2 Why do people now seem to think that it is acceptable to take pictures of strangers without their knowledge and post it to social media? Especially pictures with children in it! It is creepy as hell. I understand that when you're in public you can't exactly expect privacy, but I'm so sick of everyday people going 'viral' when they are just minding their business & going about their lives.

mjones0721 · July 2015

@bhargrave88 I totally understand where you are coming from. Especially now that I'm pregnant I have people telling me I shouldn't carry DS that he's big enough to walk and things along those lines and I do have him walk or ride in a cart/stroller as much as I can. But when my child is having what basically is a panic attack I'm not going to just tell him to suck it up he's a big boy and watch him cry and shake or take a chance on him hurting his self if he decides to throw him self on the floor. The worst is when strangers stand there and make comments without even knowing his situation. We were in a restaurant once and DS was just a little worked up, not really crying or anything just kind of babbling loudly and wanting me to hold him and these two young couples near us started talking loudly about how that's why they didn't want kids and they would never let their child behave that way. It took every ounce of self control I had not to say anything to them. My 13 year old heard them and he was so mad DH had to stop him from going off on them. Really the only thing that kept me calm was that I knew me getting worked up would make DS more overwhelmed. I also really hate when people talk about him like he isn't standing right there just because he can't speak very well yet. No he doesn't talk much but he understands what people are saying, I've seen his eyes fill up with tears when my BIL said something was wrong with him. Needless to say that went over very badly. I just wish people wouldn't judge what they don't understand

sushilove15 · July 2015

For anyone interested, here is a follow up article from People magazine:

https://www.people.com/people/mobile/article/0,,20934931,00.html

jessandandy09 · July 2015

I love baby wearing! It helped a ton with being able to get things done around my house and in public. Plus, it is really only modern society that thinks strollers are the way to go. I have never understood why anyone thinks a stroller is better than holding your child. They aren't getting exercise either way. Woman have been babywearing since the dawn of time (especially women that have to work to survive. The only thing I criticize or side-eye when I see it, is when babies head isn't secured in a chin-off-of-chest position (this can be a suffocation hazard)

*edited for spelling issues :-(

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