International Babywearing Week runs from September 21 to September 28, 2009. Personally I celebrate babywearing all year long! It has been such a blessing to be able to wear each of my babies in a sling or other baby carrier from birth to toddlerhood and beyond.
Babywearing and Breastfeeding
When it comes to breastfeeding, the benefits of babywearing are many!
!. Babywearing a newborn keeps the baby close to the breast during a critical time for establishing breastfeeding. Many babywearing advocates talk about how gestation lasts 18 months — nine months “in” and nine months “out” with both skin-to-skin contact and …read more

This breastfeeding photo shows a mother nursing her baby in a sling, although you wouldn’t know it unless you read the title and captions!
Here’s the best part of this photo of a woman nursing her baby in a sling while they both rode the train in South Africa — the comments by the wife (the woman shown) and husband (the photographer).
Wife: “Home made sling, home made baby, home made food.”
Husband: “Technically, *hotel* made baby ”
Thanks for the laugh guys, and thanks for showing how comfortably breastfeeding can be done while babywearing.

Thank you to everyone who entered the Baby Carriers Direct baby carrier giveaway! It was fun to see which sling, wrap, or carrier people hoped to win. The lucky winner is Carolyn, who said:
I would love the Kozy Carrier Mei Tai Baby Carrier in Spotsylvania.
ell Carolyn, your wish is granted! As it turns out, the Kozy Carrier Mei Tai Baby Carrier in Spotsylania was a popular choice and I can see why! For those who didn’t win, the list price is $85 and Baby Carriers Direct currently offers it for $78.99 including free shipping! Carolyn, please email me by Tuesday, …read more

This contest has ended. Thanks for your interest!
You choose the prize in this fabulous baby carrier giveaway from Baby Carriers Direct! You have up to three contest entries to win your choice of baby carrier, sling or wrap under $100! The contest is open to those with a home mailing address in the United States or Canada.
Have a look around Baby Carriers Direct. You can browse by brand, type, color, weight capacity or price (handy for staying under that $100 limit!) To enter the giveaway, leave a comment here saying which baby carrier you want to win! For a second …read more

Myth: Breastfeeding chains mothers to a nursing chair for endless hours and smothers them with the weight of a nursing pillow and a needy baby. It’s a burden, a sacrifice made by martyr mothers for the health of their babies (and the health of the mothers, if that is even recognized at all). Reality: Let me tell you what appears to be a well-kept secret. How can I put this? Oh yeah. Breastfeeding is awesome! Sure the health benefits for baby and mother are great, and the secondary benefit of being able to soothe a tired, cranky, or hungry baby …read more

1. Electric breast pump: Wired for Noise has a giveaway for a brand new The First Years Natural Transitions Deluxe Double Breast Pump. Open to U.S. residents, this contest runs through the evening of Friday, July 11th, 2008.
2. Baby-Wearing: Along for the Ride is running a summer contest to win the essential babywearing stash, which includes one Gypsy Mama Wrap, one Hotslings pouch, one BabyHawk Mei Tai, one Beco Butterfly, and one ZoloWear Ring Sling – in your choice of any in-stock colors or patterns. The contest runs through July 31st, 2008.
3. Cloth Diapering: Nature’s Child is offering a chance …read more

The babywearing poll received the most responses of any poll at Breastfeeding 1-2-3 so far (81)! Thanks to all of your responses I think we got some interesting and very helpful results.
Apparently the choice of a sling or baby carrier is a very personal one because a full 15 different brands received votes. Clearly anyone in the market for a sling or baby carrier should test drive a few styles before making a decision.
Baby Bjorn topped the list. Personally I loved our Baby Bjorn and so did my husband (and more importantly, so did my daughters). One caveat: I …read more

When I ran the poll about nursing pillow brands, Selena suggested another poll about sling brands. After reading all about the benefits of babywearing over at Mocha Milk, I’m even more happy to oblige!
I realize that different slings/pouches/carriers might work better for different ages of babies and toddlers so please do leave a comment to share your opinions! Personally I liked the NoJo Sling when my baby was an infant but it got uncomfortable when my baby got older. My husband liked the NoJo as well but also enjoyed using the Baby Bjorn Baby Carrier once my daughter met …read more