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AP day at Target

post #1 of 45
9/9/03 at 3:27am
Thread Starter 
It was a banner day at Target today! Two different mamas approached me about my sling, both of them saying, "I have one of those at home, and I can't figure it out!" I gave each of them quick lessons, but mostly encouraged them to stick with it. Heck, it took me at least a month of experimenting with the darn thing before I felt comfortable enough to wear it out of the house!

One of the moms mentioned to me that her dd (2.5 months) did a lot of crying during the day. I sympathized with her, because my ds was a fusser at that age as well. We talked about how the sling would be soothing and may help her dd to be less fussy. The mom shyly asked me, "Did you let your baby cry? Because some people tell me we should do that." I talked to her about how crying was her baby's only way to communicate her needs, even if the only thing she needed was someone to hold her. This seemed to be exactly what this mama needed to hear, because she got a big smile when I told her that I have never let ds CIO.

So not only did I get to encourage 2 slinging mamas, but I also helped one mama listen to her instincts about not CIO. I think that was pretty good for one day at Tar-jay!

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post #2 of 45
9/9/03 at 3:35am
Awww, good job!
post #3 of 45
9/9/03 at 11:35am
Yeah!

to you!
post #4 of 45
9/9/03 at 11:54am
That is sooo encouraging to hear. The times I've been in Tar-jay with ds have often been depressing to me. I see all these babes in carseat/stroller combos, some of them newborn and crying while the mom ignores and shops or else keeps saying, 'what's wrong sweetie'. I always think extra loud, "PICK ME UP" hoping that my loud thinking will somehow communicate itself to the mom :LOL. Anyway it's great that these moms were interested in your sling and that you were able to support and encourage their natural instinct to mother. The other day I happened to see a slinging mom outside Target and I went right up to her and told her how great it was to see her slining her babe.
post #5 of 45
9/9/03 at 12:15pm
That's a great story!!!!
post #6 of 45
9/9/03 at 12:32pm
Awesome! I think ti such a way to open conversation when I take my babies out and I either have ds in a sling or pouch depending. People always come up to me and say what a great idea they are, how content the baby looks, one older gentleman in wal-Mart walked up to me and said "Now there's a real mother!" It so warmed my heart to hear that!

Just think of how many people we may insipre to babywear that will never even speak to us personally!

WOO-HOO!!

post #7 of 45
9/9/03 at 1:35pm
Way to go mama!
post #8 of 45
9/9/03 at 2:02pm
YAYAYAYAY!!! That's so fantastic!!
Quote:
one older gentleman in wal-Mart walked up to me and said "Now there's a real mother!" It so warmed my heart to hear that!
Oh my goodness, that is such a wonderful thing for that man to say.

I have to say, I have a stroller and I do use it a fair amount, but when running errands/grocery shopping, etc ds is usually in a sling. Yesterday at Walmart he was in the sling, happy as a clam. We got a lot of looks and smiles, which was sweet. However, I must have seen 50 other mothers with babies liam's age, and they were all in the infant seat, resting on top of the cart. Oh well, I can't exactly approach all the mamas and give them a lesson on the benefits of slinging if they're not interested.
post #9 of 45
9/9/03 at 3:18pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
one older gentleman in wal-Mart walked up to me and said "Now there's a real mother!"
WOW! That's awesome! For some reason I love the smiles from men. That probably sounds weird, but I think its great when men notice babies and slinging and appreciate it. I always wonder if their wives were AP moms (and they are AP dads), and I'm bringing back good memories for them .
post #10 of 45
9/9/03 at 3:22pm
on the weird side of sling comments...I was at a coffee house sat. afternoon waiting to give my order, with a very happy singing and humming dd, some young proffessional type guy was in front of me and commented on how happy dd was...then he looked at me and said 'how much would it cost for me to get a ride in there' I have gotten joke type comments like that before, but this was almost creepy. he seemed serious. lol

I told him he exceeded the weight requirement.
post #11 of 45
9/9/03 at 5:17pm
Quote:
Originally posted by MelMel
...then he looked at me and said 'how much would it cost for me to get a ride in there' I have gotten joke type comments like that before, but this was almost creepy. he seemed serious. lol

I told him he exceeded the weight requirement.

Something like that happened to me the other day! We were on the cable cars in San Francisco and a guy and (I'm presuming) his wife came and sat next to us.. as they sat down, the guy said, "I want his seat" and pointed at the baby. I was THOROUGHLY creeped out. I was really sick too, so I couldn't even think of anything witty to say.
:LOL
post #12 of 45
9/9/03 at 6:54pm
Quote:
Originally posted by MelMel
some young proffessional type guy was in front of me and commented on how happy dd was...then he looked at me and said 'how much would it cost for me to get a ride in there' I have gotten joke type comments like that before, but this was almost creepy. he seemed serious. lol
At the risk of getting too T, this has happened to me, and more than once... : What is up with some people? Is that their way of saying - can I be wrapped up close to your chest? Has our society acutally gotten that hyper-sexualized that the *sling* looks like a sex-toy? Sheesh!


Anyway, way to go jackson's mama! :bf I still sling my dd all the time - at 18 months and almost 30 lbs people look at us funny. But I live in a working class Philly neighborhood where I've never seen slings on anyone but me before - and recently I got two new mamas to try it out! Both were very happy. One of those neighbors also confided to me that her 2.5 yo and her newborn are in the bed with them... and I'm the only person besides her dh who knows that, lol

These small encouragements slowing turn the tide, I'm sure of it!

mb
post #13 of 45
9/10/03 at 12:14am
I've had people tell me they want dd's seat before, too, and I've never felt they were meaning in a sexual way. (I hardly look like a sex kitten! : ) I've always figured they meant they felt they missed out on something or were remembering something fondly, whichever the case.

P.S. Not all those babies are necessarily in carseats because their mamas are clueless. My dd spent her first several months on top the cart because she *hated* the sling. I actually went back out to the car to get the bucket once after we'd both had enough of trying to use the sling and screaming! (her, not me, I just felt like it! :LOL )
post #14 of 45
9/10/03 at 10:31am
WTG! I love it when people ask about the sling!
post #15 of 45
9/10/03 at 10:47am
I could never quite get the hang of my sling but I carry my daughter everywhere. I never used the car seat carry part for 2 good reasons.
1) I loved carrying my daughter close to me
2) Why would I want to make it heavier to carry to her?

Anyway, so one day in CVS I was holding her and putting things in a basket and a little old lady said to her husband..loud enough for me tohear, on purpose I'm sure.
"It's nice to see a mom carry her baby like a baby instead of like some luggage"
post #16 of 45
9/10/03 at 12:15pm
Maybe we should organize a nation-wide sling at Tar-jay day where each of us goes to our local Target at a certain time with dc in the sling and just hang out there for as long as either mom or babe will tolerate. It might be kind of affirming to know alot of mds moms doing the same thing and it's certainly a benign way of encouraging moms to sling. Whaddya think?
post #17 of 45
9/10/03 at 4:13pm
Thread Starter 
Sofiamomma,
Quote:
we'd both had enough of trying to use the sling and screaming! (her, not me, I just felt like it! :LOL
I have SO been there! Occasionally J and I just can't get comfortable with the sling... I'm trying to move him around in all these different holds, and we're both just getting more and more frustrated... Sometimes its better to just get the bucket!

Solsticemama, great idea! I think Target and Walmart are great places to advance slinging. Just by being visible makes a big difference.
post #18 of 45
9/10/03 at 4:54pm
Great idea! I was in Target yesterday with dd in the sling and only got looks like, "that is weird!" and older people just looked disapproving. Why is that??? I would be all for a "sling in your local discount dept. store" day!
post #19 of 45
9/11/03 at 6:53am
Bravo! The more we sling, the more others will sling! :bf :bf :bf
post #20 of 45
9/11/03 at 1:05pm
Wow, this is almost exactly idential to my experience yesterday at Babies 'r' Us!

Two women with babies the same age as my own approached me (separately, at different times) and asked about my sling. Both had slings at home they were having trouble with. I just gave some suggestions and we talked for a while. I was so excited!

Afterward, I'd wished we'd exchanged phone numbers or something, but hey, it's a start.

I think we're going to start hanging out at stores more often! (Plus, DD loves the stimulation of looking at all the people and "stuff.")

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Mothering › Mothering Discussion Forums › Parenting › Ages and Stages › Life With a Babe › AP day at Target