Carrying your baby is such a personal thing – people carry for different reasons and different carriers suit different people. Here is Nina's story….
"I didn’t fully appreciate and understand the benefits of baby wearing until I had my second baby in 2013. Alexander was born 5 weeks prematurely and with a toddler running around my feet and a tiny baby who needed a lot of attention, I decided to try and use a material sling. To be honest, my motivation at the time was making my life easier, but I now know how much baby wearing benefits a baby too! I had always seen material wraps as a bit scary (as they looked so complicated to put on) but after some research, I settled on the Moby Wrap. After watching a few Youtube videos and a bit of practice, I had mastered it. And from then on, my life changed. Instead of having to either hold a small baby or put him in a Moses basket and then worry about my toddler running around and knocking him over, I was able to go about my day hands-free (and worry-free!). Alexander absolutely loved the sling and would sleep in it for hours in those early months. As well as the convenience for me, wearing Alexander helped him to feel calm and reassured – he loved being close to his food source at all times! It was also so easy to slip it into my changing bag if I wanted to take it out with me – it doesn’t take up much room at all. I wore Alexander constantly in the Moby Wrap until he was about 6 months old. Then I moved on to a Manduca, which held his weight a bit better at that stage.
Fast forward a few years and baby number 3 arrived in September 2017. I dug out the Moby Wrap and did exactly the same thing with Sebastian! Being hands-free was even more important for me with this last baby as I had school runs to do, homework to manage and a lot more demands on my time. Sebastian loved the sling too and spent his first 6 months strapped to me permanently. I loved being so close to him and was even able to go out in the evening with him sleeping on me! When he got too heavy for the Moby Wrap, I decided to treat myself to a new Ergo 360, mainly because I liked the idea of having the option of him facing forward. Once I worked out all the settings (with a bit of help from Madeleine!) I have loved that sling too, although my absolute favourite is still the Moby Wrap.
If I could give one piece of advice to a new Mum, it would be to buy a sling and wear your baby as much as possible!"
-Nina