It's International Babywearing Week!

International Babywearing Week wraps up (pun intended) tomorrow. I've written before about how much I love babywearing. I've shared pictures of wearing Daniel during his first week, and also a tutorial on how to make your own no-sew stretchy wrap. So, I thought I'd post about the things I enjoyed reading about babywearing this week!

First, the calls to action! Dionna from Code Name: Mama reached out to babywearers everywhere this week and called us to unite! The Consumer Product Safety Commission may announce a recall this week of certain types of baby carriers. Whether the potential recall will be limited to one brand of carrier or whether it will cover an entire class of carriers is yet to be known. Mama and Babylove also wrote a great post about the potential recalls, so check that out, too! Link up with your babywearing stories and photos at the call to action at Adventures in Babywearing and the Baby Carrier Industry Alliance Fabebook page.

As with anything, baby carriers, slings, and wraps are not a substitute for good parenting judgment and paying attention to your baby. Make sure your child is positioned properly in the sling and always be vigilant about your baby's airway. Upright positions are the best for tiny babies who cannot hold their heads up, and will help prevent them from getting into the curled up "chin-to-chest" position that can hinder breathing.

Lauren at Hobo Mama wrote a post all about safe babywearing. Some of her tips include:

Papas love babywearing,
too!

• Make sure your baby can breathe.
• Never use a baby carrier while riding in a car.
• Use only carriers that are appropriate for your baby's age and weight.
• If you wouldn't do it while pregnant, don't do it while carrying a baby.
• Activities that require protective gear are not appropriate for babywearing.

Just in time for the season, I read somewhere recently (I can't remember where) about Carried Away Costumes, a company that makes Halloween costumes that are babywearing-friendly! They fit over most wraps and baby carriers. We won't be taking Daniel out trick-or-treating this year, but if you will be wearing your little one out that night, it's worth checking out all those adorable photos.

Nursing Freedom had a series of posts this past week on breastfeeding while babywearing. There are posts about nursing in Mei-tais, in stretchy wraps, in ring slings, and finally, in soft structured carriers and more! I've found that nursing in the mei tai is the easiest for Daniel and me so far, although we've had success in both the stretchy and the woven wraps and also the ring sling. Babywearing makes breastfeeding so much easier—especially when you have a young baby who nurses all the time! I'm so glad I discovered babywearing before my son was born because it really made our first weeks together much easier.

Blissed out after nursing in the mei tai during a walk.

So, with that, I wish you a safe, secure, snuggly babywearing experience. Happy Babywearing Week!