1. Shopping: Whether it is for groceries, or to celebrate getting into a size that makes you smile, moving through the aisles with your little one comfortably in a baby wrap or baby carrier means your hands are free to find the deals. And a carrier means never needing to leave a stroller outside the store, or worst yet, having to maneuver it around store displays and other shoppers.
2. Cleaning: Getting it done around the house is often a two-handed job. Free them up for washing dishes, vacuuming and the rest by wearing your little one close. Now that my son is 13 months, he likes to help by chasing the vacuum around the room and retracting the cord, but for many of the early months he would nap peacefully while I moved around the house.
3. Exercising: I love walking and hiking with my son in our Boba Carrier. For longer distances, I am more comfortable with him on my back, but when we are just out for a mosey, I like to wear him on the front. Having him snuggled up on my chest means that we can stop to explore together: a leafy tree, the ducks splashing in the creek and saying hello to others we might meet out on our walk. Having him close to me, and sharing at eye level, means that we can greet it all, new and old, together.
4. Playing Together: Dancing around the living room while babywearing makes dips and spins even more fun. Carrying your child while singing and playing with new sounds like humming and whistling allows them to feel the vibration in your body and theirs, as well as offering a close-up to study and learn from your face.
5. Settling Your Little One Into Sleep: As a momma, I have my ways to settle my little one into a restful sleep, but wearing our son for our nighttime walks is my husband’s way. Carriers that keep your babe resting inward against your own body offers them a closeness to the heart, breathing and voice that puts them most at ease. Carriers are awesome for sharing sleep-time closeness for papas and their little ones.
6. Snuggling: When I was pregnant, I rubbed and rubbed my belly, so much so that my family still jokes about it with me. And no, I was not expecting a genie at the end of all that rubbing; I just loved my growing belly and the little person who was sharing those sacred months of pregnancy with me. Wearing my son on my front offers up a little of that precious sweetness that we both enjoy. I still rub (and rub) his back and booty while he snuggles in close to me.
7. Breastfeeding On The Go: When you are out and about as a family, wearing your nursling on your front means you have the opportunity to create a quiet and comfortable place to breastfeed, where ever you happen to be. Here is a short video to show you how.
8. Soothing a Sick Child: Wise mothers know, and science supports, that settling your little love onto you, belly to belly, skin to skin, helps to soothe a sick belly and promote a quicker return to wellness. Using a wrap or carrier means you can do this longer and more comfortably for both of you. Watch for a future Boba blog post on the physiology behind this awesome parenting tool that both mothers and fathers can use with their babies and young children.
9. Travel: Rolling through the airport with your babe on your back means your hands are free for boarding passes and pulling your bag. And once you arrive, where ever you arrive, wearing your child is a fantastic way to get out and explore while keeping your little love safe and both of you comfortable.
10. Learning and Living:  Wearing your baby means sharing your day, your views, your hugs with others, your walking pace, your routines—-all the things that make up your day. When you are sharing a life together, you are offering beneficial learning opportunities, big and small, to your child. Every stir of the spoon, every color named out loud is done in sharing, and this is a great benefit to both of you.

While a walking toddler’s spine is “s-shaped”, a newborn spine is “c-shaped” so their thighs naturally pull up in the front of their little bodies. When a newborn lies on his back, if he is in good health and has good muscle tone his thighs rise right up toward his chest. Actually, newborns have a pretty hard time flattening out their bodies and straightening their legs to to the surface under them.

Our babies naturally assume flexed widespread legs. Makes them easier to carry!

When you pick up a healthy newborn, the same thing happens, his thighs pull up toward his chest and he assumes a flexed widespread position. The shape of a newborn spine could never support walking but on the other hand spending most of his day flat on his back with his naturally curved spine flattened out is not what nature intended either. The c-shaped spine and flexed widespread position a newborn assumes when picked up are the anatomical considerations that suggest babies were meant to be carried in arms.

The frog position that babies naturally assume when picked up help parents carry them.

If we go back to the beginnings of our human ancestors, the adaptation of flexed widespread legs on mom’s hip made carrying a whole lot easier, especially with the emergence of bipedalism (when mom moved upright and was walking on two legs) and became less hairy than she used to be (less hair for baby to cling on to).

"If you had a little extra hair Dad maybe I could help pull my own weight a little."

With nothing to cling onto, mothers needed to start supporting their baby’s backs, holding them in their arms. Some of the grand apes carry their young babies like we do on their hips or in their arms with backs supported. Although our babies may not be able to clutch and support their own weight holding onto the hair of their mothers, they do still cling. They actively press their legs against their mother’s body when she turns unexpectedly or moves abruptly. The baby is in synch with mom’s varied movements and responds appropriately to maintain his position. Little flexed human bodies actively contribute to and are adapted to being carried.

Flexed widespread legs, the c-shaped spine of the infant, and the clinging reflex are all anatomical adaptations that suggest that our babies are meant to be carried. So don’t leave them in a nest or in a container. Our little ones were meant to be carried. Bring ‘em along for the ride!