Seeing Babywearing as the Norm

Just before leaving for Mass I find myself tying a sarong on my son like a wrap sling so he can carry Duckling on his back.  How did this happen?  Well, with minutes to go before we have to leave for Mass and amazing the kids and I are all dressed and ready to go when Kieran says he needs to put Duckling on his back.  Since we're running ahead of schedule (meaning we're not rushing out the door at breakneck speed so we're not late), I find myself running upstairs to try to find something that can be used as a sling.  My first thought was to grab one of the many decorative scarves I have, but then my eyes fell on the sarong I'd gotten on our honeymoon in the Bahamas.

"Perfect!" I told myself, as I rushed back down the stairs to help Kieran with it.  It's been a long time since I've tried to use the Kari-Me wrap (pretty much like a Moby wrap, for my US readers) on my back, but I thought I remembered enough to quickly strap Duckling on Kieran's back.  Thankfully Duckling is rather light, and not alive, so it really didn't matter if it was well supported.  My first attempt didn't look quite the way it should, but by that time we were in a hurry so I left it.  I didn't get a photo of the second attempt, which was much better.  Once I got Duckling strapped on, we headed to Mass like this:

Kieran was very happy having his Duckling on his back like that, and I was thrilled that my children see babywearing as the norm.  I've actually worn Kieran on my back in the mei tai fairly recently, and I frequently wear Charlotte, either on my back in the mei tai or on my hip with the Kari-Me folded like a sling.  She's a bit too big for a front carry these days.  Children imitate what they see and know, and obviously for my children that's babywearing.