When People Say No to Babywearing 👶🧣❌

Not everyone chooses to use a baby carrier.

This presents a challenge for babywearing advocates, educators, and consultants.

I mean, what’s a person to do?!

You know it’s a helpful practice. One that will make everyday life easier for the caregiver and the baby. Yet, you can’t make someone do something they don’t want to do.

Sometimes, the hardest part of being a babywearing consultant is recognizing that the person you’re serving or speaking with is on their own journey. We are but a brief blip in their life, and as such, we must accept it when they decide babywearing is not for them.

The reasons someone chooses not to use a baby carrier are as varied as there are people in the world.

Increasingly, people have heard of baby carriers and that they're ‘good.’ Yet… even with multiple books, blogs, research papers, and access to help, they might still reject the practice of carrying for more than a few minutes.

Let's be real: Every baby is carried at some point. Some people choose to only use their arms and other resting devices.

Where’s the disconnect?

Is it a messaging problem? Is the rationale for babywearing not compelling enough? Do people just not find it necessary? Is it ALL of those things?

You have a choice in how you communicate with people about baby-carrying, and it’s highly contextual.

Here is my process:

First and foremost, I Accept Their Choice. They are the masters of their life story, after all.

Then I either,

• Leave it alone and move on.
• Advocate for the practice. (Gently)
• Intrigue them to explore the practice more.
  • This is easy to say but harder to do as it means I must have listened very carefully to them to understand what fun fact or story might intrigue them.

Intrigue can be powerful. It means to arouse someone's curiosity, to fascinate them. It’s akin to leaving a seed to grow in my mind.

What about you? The next time you encounter a "No" to babywearing, how will you handle it?

We discuss this topic and many, many more in our courses and community support hours. Hope to see you there!