Babywearing Gets You Close May 07 2012

Babywearing Gets You Close

This theme is a special one to me - the campaign photo is of myself and my daughter. Whilst it's an incredibly special shot, it was taken on an ordinary day, at an ordinary nap-time, yet it epitomises everything that babywearing means. Getting close, enhancing the bond between parent and child. Neither of our children sleep as much as they need, and they both struggle to get to sleep. Babywearing not only allows us to assist them to sleep gently and in a nurturing way, but gives us more opportunities to bond at the same time.

But although many people are used to seeing my daughter in my babywearing photos, it is actually my son's life who has been most influenced by babywearing. Now four and a half, E was diagnosed with autism at the age of two and a half, three weeks before the birth of our daughter. As a newborn, E found the world overwhelming. In a pram, he was assaulted by the sensory overload of the shopping centre lights. As soon as he went into a carrier, he was happy. He has always responded so positively to being close to us, and one of my most powerful memories is of us walking along with him in a front carry, giggling into each others faces. Another is of sharing a smoothie and E poking his face over my shoulder to reach the straw. Listening to the buskers at the shopping centre with delight, and his hand holding mine and his head on my shoulder. So many situations that might otherwise have caused stress were not only calmed, but made positive and fun by babywearing.

For any parent and child, babywearing truly is a wonderful gift that gets you close, but for my son and I, it has made all of the difference in the world.

These are the faces of babyworn children. This is is what it means for us to be close.