The sweetest thing happened last week. I had a postpartum mama come in for her massage with her baby. She did everything right — she arrived early to feed him and try to get him to sleep, but it didn't work. We tried the bouncer and snuggling him on the table with her, but nothing calmed him down.
Then I had a wild and crazy idea. I asked if she had a carrier with her, and she did. So... I massaged her while I wore her baby, and he fell asleep right away. After all these years of giving prenatal and postpartum massage, this was a first! I shared a Reel on my Instagram page — check it out here. It really made my day.
This is a reminder that your baby is always welcome at your postpartum massages — we'll figure it out together.
This mama told me her baby tends to be "fussy," and I told her he just wants to be close to her. Is babywearing part of your postpartum time? I talk about carriers as part of my infant massage lessons, and there are so many benefits to wearing your baby:
Helps improve digestion
Can reduce congestion
Supports breastfeeding
Improves sleep
Reduces crying — and can help you actually get things done around the house without holding them in your arms (or, apparently, give a massage )
During my infant massage lessons — when babies are typically 6 weeks to around 5 months old — I often get asked: Is it too late to start babywearing?
Nope. We still wear our 2.5-year-old! There are so many situations where a carrier is a lifesaver:
Traveling through busy places where strollers don't work
Navigating airports
When he's sick and just wants to be held
When we're trying to cook and he needs to be close
Babywearing is truly a game changer — so convenient, and the benefits go beyond comfort. Wearing your baby also supports language development. When babies and toddlers spend lots of time close to adults who are talking, they hear and absorb language faster. Super cool, right?
We just got back from a vacation somewhere hot and humid, so we wore him in a linen ring sling by Lillebaby. It doesn't look like they're making them anymore, but I bet you can find one on Facebook Marketplace or at a consignment shop.
We hiked in the ring sling, which isn't ideal, but we left our more structured carriers behind because of the heat. We love our Boba — Henry is actually being worn in the same one we used with our 13-year-old. They last, that I know for sure! Ideally for hiking in Colorado I'd reach for our big Kelty carrier, but it was too bulky for this trip.
Do you wear your baby?