In the eighties, very few macho men were pushing a pram yet alone carrying an infant in a baby carrier strapped to their hairy chest. In those days, men still considered and expected women to feed, change diapers, push prams and carry babies.
I am a bit of a feminist and got into an argument many a time with husbands and wives when asked my opinion on gender roles. My views were completely different and I argued that men should play an active role in child development from birth.
Today more and more dads are seen pushing prams, carrying infants in baby carriers, doing household chores and the weekly shop. Three cheers! for feminism. I was a stay at home Dad myself when I lost my job. My wife was the sole breadwinner. The joke bandied about by friends was that I was a kept man.
Memories of the Baby Sling
I remember the first baby sling as it was called in those days, 1981 to be precise. It was a blue baby sling from Mother Care. I bought it in Oxford Street London. I proudly walked down the High Street with one toddler strapped in the pram, the other standing behind him on the pram and my baby daughter strapped to my hairless chest in the baby carrier.
I could not care less who was staring. I was a Super Dad with my groceries tied to the handles of the pram and the pamper nappies stuck underneath the pram tray. The kids thought it was fun as I whizzed down the hill making a sound of a fire engine. “Some more please Daddy“, they would scream.
I would clutch my chest gasping for air making those weird noises Dads do when they are interacting with their toddlers. My children would shriek with laughter as I fell to the floor. What great memories they were. My reversal role as a hands-on dad was the most rewarding experience of my life. I would urge any Dad to do it for a couple of months perhaps a year. More about that later…..
How quick the years fly, my adult children have flown the nest and have started their own families. I now have four beautiful grandchildren. My eldest son recently had a baby son, and my instinct as a Dad kicked in. I did a little research on what baby carriers were on the market. I was amazed at the range of baby carriers on Amazon. One particular brand that impressed me was the Choice of Baby Bjorn Baby Carriers and it’s range of Baby products.
Why should men walk around with babies in baby carriers?
According to Björn Jakobson who developed the baby carrier in the seventies, stated that “Carrying a newborn close to your heart is like being in seventh heaven,” I am not so sure I was in the seventh heaven when I carried my toddlers around in a carrier, what I did experience was a feeling of closeness and intense love with each of them.
I felt protective towards them being so close to me. It also made them feel secure. I was beginning to understand a little bit how protective mothers can be towards their children
When I had them in the carrier I would talk and sing to them in a soothing tone, occasionally those laser-sharp eyes would gaze into my eyes with the most angelic smile and my heart would melt. Yes! I loved carrying them around in the carrier wherever I went. It felt very good having them close to me and I could not understand why other Dads were not doing it. I felt they were missing out on quality time with their baby.
Connecting with Your Baby
Babies need lots of body contact during the first few months – I remember when my children were born they would hold onto my index finger for dear life. After their bath, I put them on their tummy and placed them on my chest, it was probably my heartbeat that put them to sleep almost immediately.
I think having your baby close to you in a baby carrier is a substitute for when they were in the womb and is actually helping them adjust to the outside world. Our body heat, our heartbeat and the sound of our voices become familiar to our baby and makes them feel secure. A baby needs physical close contact which is just as important as sleeping and eating.
Would I recommend a Baby Carrier? A most definite Yes!!
From personal experience as a hands on Dad, I would urge you to invest in a baby carrier as soon as possible. Not only do you gel with your baby but it will give you that special quality time if you are at work full time and you don’t get a chance to interact with them.
Grab every minute you can with them they grow very quickly and you wonder where the time went. I went shopping with them and of course, I could move around in crowds effortlessly with my hands-free while Junior was fast asleep dribbling on my chest. The love and joy they bring you are priceless – You will treasure those precious memories you spent with them long after they have left home.
Which Baby Carrier is best for the Baby?
It can be quite daunting finding the right baby carrier. BABYBJÖRN has a range of baby carriers to suit all tastes. BABYBJÖRN carriers are ergonomically tested for your baby and can be used from birth onwards. Click on the carrier guide to find the most suitable carrier for your baby and useful tips for brand new parents which will help you overcome that anxious feeling of being a parent.
Bjorn Baby Carrier Review
Product Name: Bjorn Baby Carrier
Website: https://www.babybjorn.com/baby-carriers/
Price: £49.99 – £119.99
Overall Rank: 60 out of 100
The Good & the Bad
The Good:
PRO: Good support, excellent weight distribution, easy to get on and off
The Bad:
CON: It’s a bit bulky
Who is Bjorn Baby Carrier suitable for? You can use a baby carrier as soon as your baby is born! … We recommend waiting until your child is 12 months old before you carry them on your back
Click here : Bjorn Baby Carrier Manuals and Instructions
Click here : Bjorn Baby Carrier Support
Watch Video Review on Björn Baby Carrier
Great information here, and a wonderful site!
Thanks Nicole for the kind comment –
I am also one that firmly believe that dads should play a role in parenting.
I am from a family that the older generation have very traditional views, namely, dads should care about earning money and moms should care about the household chores and the babies. In fact, my mom said that my dad never carried me until I was five, when I had an accident and had to be rushed to the local clinic.
Now that I am older and I look back towards my childhood years, I don’t recall my father in most of my memories – and for those that include him, it was really fuzzy and short.
My father is now complaining that I bond better with my mom, and I don’t spend enough time with him or share my life with him. But I can’t make myself do it, when I don’t feel for him as how I feel for my mom.
I’m glad to see this site around and even more glad to see reviews on the best carriers for dads to use in order to bond with their babies!
Thanks Rachel, for the lovely feedback and your touching story of Dad and daughter relationship, hopefully in time you will let him back into your life. That will be another blog post about parents who mattered most in their lives when they were children.
Hi there,
Its so nice to read this story from the father’s point of view. Being able to spend time with my kids as a mom has been the greatest rewarding experience and one I am very fond of recalling.
Love the writing style, you can clearly see your optimism about being a proud dad. Hope the world gets more of you so that we can all get to share this joy with each other.
Really enjoyed your comments,
Cant wait to see some more articles.
Hi there,
It’s so nice to read this story from the fathers point of view. Being able to spend time with my kids as a mom has been the greatest rewarding experience and one I am very fond of recalling.
Love the writing style, you can clearly see your optimism about being a proud dad. Hope the world gets more of you so that we can all get to share this joy with each other.
Really enjoyed your comments,
Cant wait to see some more articles.
Hello Ninene,
Thank you for those encouraging comments. Being a parent is a gift and having children is treasure beyond measure. You sound like you enjoying motherhood.
Children thrive when there is love from both parents and they in turn will become loving Mums and Dads.My aim is to raise awareness of the responsibility of Dads and also the great rewards of seeing our children flourish.Thanks again and I look forward to your next comment
Richard
I am definitely not a feminist, but I agree that fathers should be close to their babies. Since I had a home office, I definitely did my share of baby carrying, when I was younger. We didn’t have one of these baby carriers that you feature here and our backs paid the price. When my daughter has a baby I will recommend that she get one of these. And maybe I as an old grandpa will need one, too.
Most dads in the eighties relied on the push buggy or pram …most of the time it was the mums who carried the baby ..a few dads as well it was murder on the back