Is it a regional thing?

[Ruthie's momma]

Hello! Why am I always reading about other MDC ladies getting questioned/insulted when wearing their babes? : DD is over 22 mo and I have never, ever received a negative comment when wearing her. In fact, if I do receive a comment, it is a positive one. :

Does this have something to do with where each of us live and travel? What else could it be? I just don't get it. I get so when I read about other mommas being questioned when they are actually doing what is best for their babes!

[AnnaNova]

it might be... my baby is only 3 mo, and i havent got a single bad comment, on the contrary a couple of times people said something encouraging and i always get 'oh how cute' comments. and actually what i noticed is that there can be a baby in the car seat right next to me, and they would get completely ignored
what's not so good though is that a couple of times people touched my baby which im not completely comfortable with, i guess if theres i leg sticking out, its just too tempting or sth...and then you can't say 'please dont touch him' coz its just once, not like they keep touching him and i dont know what to say... when the baby is in the car seat and covered with a blanket on top of that, i guess its kinda hard to get to him

[pixiepunk]

honestly i don't know. part of it might just be random bad luck bumping into a rude person. i live in the total boonies, people i see on a regular basis have never seen a baby being worn before save in a national geographic magazine, and i've got nothing but wonderful comments.

i have to say, though, that sometimes i think mamas can be overly sensitive. like i *have* had people ask me if my LO can breathe ok in there. but it was never snarky, IMO, it was a genuine question of concern. i mean, babies have asphyxiated in carriers before. so i showed them that baby had plenty of space and that her chin was nowhere near here chest and they smiled gratefully and went about their business. i guess i just never assume people are trying to be rude to me. i know i do things differently than the mainstream and i hope me and my awesome kids might inspire someone to try a different approach, so i welcome questions as an opportunity to educate

[isabchi]

Really, I don't know either. I received many positive comments, but in articular circumstances as a very warm day, if they see a was walk for a long distance, and especially when the baby went older and big. I'm just 5'3'' and 90 % of the time I wear my babies in my back. Most people use to see small babies carried at front. It's very unusual to see babywearing mamas carrying 20+ lb babies in my area. lol

[hollycat]

this always baffled me too. live in a big city and no one ever once looks twice.

[MittensKittens]

Yes, I think so

Where I live, people make nasty comments about anything they can possibly think of, including babywearing, homebirth, no socks on the baby in really hot weather, and DARING to clog up their buses with TWO kids! Actually, I don't think it is so much about the babywearing here, more about generally being scared by habits and life choices different to the commentator's.

[MittensKittens]

Adding to say that I have had lots of positive comments as well. I have actually started selling carriers, and people do want them :! The nasty comment mentality annoys me though. After three years of being polite, I just don't want to anymore. I find myself being rude more than I should.

[rightkindofme]

I live in the bay area where being "green" is very trendy. You see baby carriers everywhere. Most of the comments I get are from new moms asking me what kind of carrier I have and where I bought it. I have talked a lot of moms into getting the Moby for early usage and Ergo for older babies. I mention other kinds of carriers too and discuss the advantages of each but as these are the two I have decided are my favorites I pass on my bias.

[kriket]

Originally Posted by rightkindofme

I live in the bay area where being "green" is very trendy. You see baby carriers everywhere.

same with me, except one lady who said i should get a "regular" carrier all you see around here are the baby bjorn ones. i have one like that but its a mess to get him in and out of

[Ruthie's momma]

To illustrate how "normal" baby carriers are here in Colorado...

Today, I was in Wal-Mart : (I was out of DD's Burt's Bees Baby Apricot Baby Oil!). At that time, there were at least 3 baby wearing mommas in the store. One momma had her toddler, on her back, in an Ergo. Another momma had her newborn in a Moby. DD was on my back, in the sling...and our cashier couldn't stop gushing about how pretty my sling was!

[limabean]

Yeah, if anyone mentions it to me it's just to say how sweet/comfy DD looks. I've never gotten a negative nursing-in-public comment either, but I read about those all the time here too. I guess I'll just count myself lucky!