My #1 Parenting Recommendation

BLAST FROM THE PAST -- found on my old blog!

"My friend Rebekah is expecting her first baby in a few months and I am so excited for her and haven't been able to stop thinking about what advice or information I might like to share with her, if she should ask (not that she and Ben need any advice since they are both super capable on their own!) I come back to one thing... Baby Wearing! My friend Joanie sent me a book The Vital Touch by Sharon Heller (Bekah I have a copy I'm sending to you!) and I credit her and it for helping us to make the single best decision of our early parenting time... wear that baby. Babies LOVE it and you will too!

We literally wore Jessie EVERYWHERE; formal dinners, hikes in the woods, all over the San Francisco and dozens of other places. We didn't buy a stroller until she was over year old. (We got a garage sale one because Jessie enjoyed getting into other kids strollers at the park but she still prefers the wrap/carrier even today.) The wrap/carriers made us super mobile and we didn't have to worry about only going where strollers could go... it was super convenient on trains, planes and street cars! It was also delightful to have her so close. Rob and I found it hard to take turns because we both liked it so much! At 26 months, Jessie prefers to walk everywhere but we still bring a wrap for when she gets tired. At almost 30 pounds now, carrying her doubles as a work out which is good too!

I believe wearing Jessie was really great for her development too. Being up high (rather then down low in a stroller) allowed her to see out and make contact with the world. Being carried in the wrap also helped develop her neck muscles so she could hold her own head up within a couple of weeks, once again making it easier to interact with the world. Sometimes, that first month, when we were walking around, we would cover Jessie up so she could sleep but would often be surprised to look down and see her awake, looking up at us as if to say, "Hi, can I come out now?"

I can't think of many times in my life where I can say "I wouldn't change a thing" but that first year wearing Jessie is certainly one of them. We all had the best time together!"