It’s an image from another part of the world: A mother totes her baby in a sling or fabric carrier of some sort, while she goes about her daily work. We, in Western countries where we are less accustomed to seeing babies in slings on a day-to-day basis, smile and say to ourselves, “Ah, isn’t that sweet, carrying her child close to her while she works. But I couldn’t do that.” So many people think that a baby in arms would impede a parent from doing her work, when the truth is that babywearing benefits both child and working mum in so many ways, and can actually make work easier.
Work is defined by one source as a “physical or mental effort or activity directed toward the production or accomplishment of something.” In effect, everything that we do everyday is work. We don’t have to put on a smart business suit and mingle with co-workers to call it work. We could be typing at the computer, doing phone work, vacuuming the carpets, operating a sewing machine, giving a speech in front of an audience, or simply dreaming and sketching in our head . . . and guess what? It’s all still work. Unless by “work”, you’re putting together machine parts in a factory, or doing some other sort of task that could endanger yourself or your baby, it’s very likely that you could accomplish many tasks while wearing your baby.
We accomplish all sorts of quotidian tasks that could be done with our babes in arms and close to our heart (both literally and figuratively). And yet, so many parents are hesitant to do so. Why? The answers may be varied and complex—it’ll hurt my back; I won’t be able to get anything done; it’ll bother the baby; I just finished carrying this baby for nine months, so I need a break. My response to these is that the advantages may far outweigh the perceived disadvantages.
In the first few weeks and months of a baby’s life, being physically close to mum is so important, as baby transitions into the “real” world. A baby is happier, calmer, and healthier if he is not separated from the one who provides him with nourishment, warmth, and a general feeling of security. An employer or co-workers may worry that a baby could be disruptive to the workplace. However, babies are calmer and less disruptive while they’re carried close to mum, that so often, people don’t even notice that a baby is present!
Furthermore, a relaxed parent is a more productive parent. You’ve no doubt heard of the typical mum who leaves her baby for the first time, and nervously calls the sitter about 48 times during the day? Well, imagine all the worries, heartache, and wasted time that could be eliminated if her child were right with her, safely worn in a sling. Indeed, a nursing mother wastes less time if she is wearing her baby close to her for nourishment, and doesn’t have to drop what she’s doing to go check the baby.
With telecommuting, advances in technology, and changing workplace attitudes, many mums are realising that having a baby doesn’t have to mean stopping work—whether at home or out of the home. And babywearing makes all sorts of work easier, simply because it calms both child and mother, and creates feelings of security and ease of mind.
But don’t take my word for all of this. Perhaps no endorsement for babywearing while working could ring more loudly than one from Dr. William Sears, who details in The Attachment Parenting Book many examples of parents successfully wearing their babies while working. (He even mentions times when he himself had worn his baby in a sling while speaking at conferences and giving classes.) Babywearing, as Dr. Sears says, “makes it possible for parents stay in touch with baby in the midst of their busy lives.”
This is the first in a two-part series on the babywearing. The next essay will be about babywearing and education.
Chi Lan is mother to two young children, and a freelance writer living in Ontario, Canada. Her award-winning work has appeared in various magazines and publications, including The Humanist, TG Magazine, The Halifax Herald, and publications for the Canadian government Department of Multiculturalism. She was shortlisted for the 1999 CBC/Saturday Night Literary Competition in the personal essay category. She is also founder and designer of cxd baby (www.cxdbaby.com), a Canadian company making fashionable and comfortable unpadded baby slings.
© 2006 Chi Lan First electronic rights offered. (Upon publication, all rights revert to author. )
