Wear Your Baby, Michigan!

I got back last week from a week-long trip to visit my family in Wisconsin.  I took both kids (3.5 years and 7 mos) and hit the road for a 7 hour drive by myself.  Crazy?  You might ask……maybe a little!  Really it went pretty well.

There were several times on the way there though that it struck me how much I rely on my carriers.  How else would I manage to help my 3 year old in a gas station or wayside bathroom if I couldn’t wear the baby?  You can’t fit a stroller in there.  You certainly wouldn’t set her on the floor.  However having her right on me, securely attached with my hands free made it very easy.

It’s always an adjustment for me to babywear in the town my parents live.  Here in Traverse City ring slings are very common and other types of carriers are fairly common as well.  At most I usually get smiles and questions about where I got my carrier.  My parents live in a very conservative, not at all “crunchy” city in Wisconsin.  I have actually never seen another person wearing a baby in anything other than a baby store/discount store type carrier there and even that isn’t very common.  I get a lot of stares.  Several times people have talked about us loud enough for us to hear as if we aren’t even there!  Maybe someday it will catch on there!