Babywearing at 1 year

It's been wonderful carrying Leon around with me tucked up like he was still a little baby - but he's not anymore he's turning into a little boy. Oh and he weighs 12kg (2 stone!). It's very useful for short periods but now he is too heavy! Granted I should be carrying him on my back in a rucksack fashion - but find that I cannot stand up straight and he falls down slightly each time I do. Time to go to another Sling Meet I think. A real confidence booster if you need reassurance with sling ties.

I can't help but carry him on my front in a Front wrap cross carry. I like to see him and talk to him. It's easier to get around than the pram and I feel liberated oddly enough, to walk pram free, darting in and out of pedestrians like before. But he's so heavy and my back gets tired (the cross over should be in the centre and not too high up). I regretted hauling in my pram to The National Portrait Gallery as there was so much space -  perfect to let babies out and crawl together. Conversely, I took the sling to the Saatchi Gallery for a mums meetup but there were floor level pieces and I wasn't as comfortable letting him crawl around. Shame on Saatchi's lack of benches on the Ground floor. What if you're waiting for people and need a seat! Pramless parents, pregnant ladies, elderly and tired need a place to sit.
Anyhow, they did manage a crawling session from the peruvian crematorium into the hall! The Gallery Mess restaurant was lovely - so accommodating to babies and could choose for babies from kids menu also. Leon had a delicious sausage and mash with sweetcorn as well as a few bits of food I'd brought along for him also. My, does he have an appetite.

The sling is a long cotton wrap and been a wonderful asset for transporting him since newborn in a hammock tie - but to be honest, I started using the wrap more when he was about 4 months on the front, in a simple front cross carry. He really enjoyed being at face-level with people and enjoyed the interactions in the street and I like that he's not all the way down there with those stinky car fumes. It's very convenient and means I try and pack minimal stuff in my big bag when going places. Restaurants and buses love it as you don't take up much space. If he's tired he can easily fall asleep against me and if I'm lucky I can put him down on the side of wherever we are while I have lunch.

And, nothing beats being so close to your baby. Well - being close to a small baby is wonderful. When you can't see over their head it's time they were hauled onto your back!

This website's very good for showing how to wrap your baby. The lady Diana is so strong to throw them up on her back like that! Oh yes - if you decide on a back wrap - best to wait for Summer or move to sunny Florida like Diana. The humpback look that you'll achieve wearing a coat over this wrap is rather unsightly.

Wrap Your Baby - rucksack instructions

I'm pleased that I gained the confidence early on in wrapping my baby - although I still use the pram a lot in gives me a brilliant alternative. For the next sproutlet I think I'll wrap them in the sling quite often as it's so comfortable and so easy when they're tiny - but I like that Leon is very independent and enjoys the pram. I didn't carry him around the house on my back like I thought I might. Only once did he wants to to be carried and I need to get on with cooking/washing up etc he entertained himself watching what's happening from behind my head and then fell asleep immediately afterwards.

It would be lovely to hear from other people that enjoy carrying their babies/toddlers and I wonder if you shopped around a bit to find the right one for you and if the wraparound babycarriers seemed to tricky? Would you be willing to try it out? I know several Sling Meet groups have a Sling library so you can borrow them! What a great idea :D