I wore my babies, back in the day. I even have my origninal red corduroy Snugli to prove it. People said, “It’ll hurt your posture.” “He can’t move in there.” “He’ll freeze.” You name it, they slung it. I think they were jealous. My babies were very contented and I never tired of wearing them.

Here’s a picture of me, wearing my first-born and my Vasque hiking boots.

Today there are way more babywearing moms around. Even so, I’m just as likely to see the mom with the plastic carrier, bumping her baby back and forth against her hip as she walks through the grocery store parking lot. If I were in that carrier, I’d be puking. (My kids know better than to take me to an amusement park – I always lose it on the rides that go upside-down and backwards.)

October is National Babywearing Month, so why not ditch the plastic and switch to soft, huggable cloth? My babies always felt more secure when I held them. It helped them relax. I figured they were used to being carried in the womb, the snuggest place of all. Keeping my babies close turned me into a mellow mama with lots of patience. The reason is oxytocin, the “mothering hormone.” Anyone who knows me will tell you I am not what you would call the mellow type. More like the “gotta do something” type. But natural mothering, including babywearing, pushed me into the laid back category.

With my baby in the Snugli, not only could I vacuum and cook dinner, I had two hands free to grocery shop, bake bread, whatever. Even in winter I felt totally comfortable hiking with the baby snug in his pouch.

Our oldest was born in September, and that Christmas, friends invited us to cut a tree on their property near Johnson’s Mesa in northern New Mexico. We drove into the mountains for what seemed like forever, and then headed on foot into the woods. Snow lined the forest floor, and the quiet overwhelmed us. Then out of the Snugli came the cry of our three-month-old child. It echoed through the tall pine trees in a way that I could not have imagined, and at that moment, it was the only sound in the world.

Those days are gone, but now my new granddaughter gets to ride in the same red Snugli. And that is a huge thrill. Another generation of babies, worn by their mama. Don’t you think it makes the world a more peaceful, loving place? FFG