[snuggly]

Hey, I'm just joining in for the first time with a question about wearing my 5 month old...

Before she was born I had so many visions and expectations of wearing and snuggling her all the time. I do wear her fairly often in our sleepy wrap: the store, library, other errands, but she doesn't love it these days as much as I expected her to... Right now she is probably worn on average only one hour a day... not what this snuggly mama had in mind! When I wear her around the house she wants to get down and play and, to my surprise, she on walks she LOVES the outward facing stroller that my in-laws gave us! Maybe she just has an independent streak

Anyway, I don't know if I should keep trying for more wearing time each day or go with the flow of what she seems to be into (the stroller) despite my parenting ideals. Anyone with experience along these lines?

 

[pixiepunk]

i have always let my babies lead me in terms of how often they want to be worn. and it's always ebbed and flowed with each baby based on what was going on with them as to how much they wanted to be worn. when they are wanting to play and explore the world, they tend to want it less. but then they have had enough of that and come back to snuggle with me. my 6 yo asked me to put her on my back the other day

i could only bear it for a couple of minutes while i cooked dinner, but it was so cute and we had a good giggle over it

:

that said, i also used different carriers at different times based on their needs and desires. when they were in the "i want to see the world" phase, i put them in a high back carry in a mei tai - they could cuddle me and see the world from over my shoulder. or for a shorter time period i'd wear them on my hip so they could look out from there. so sometimes it's not that they don't want to be worn, but that they want to be worn in a different way, so if you're missing wearing her it might be worth thinking about a different type of carrier that might suit her needs better.

 

[LittleBlessings]

I think if she feels more confortable in the stroller at the moment then use the stroller

 

[funkymamajoy]

My kids have gone through phases where they liked to be worn all the time or not. Around 5 months, they were getting more mobile and liked to be down. Since she likes facing out in the stroller, you could try a back carry so she can see what you're doing and look around.

Just follow her cues. There's no need to wear her for x amount of minutes a day.

 

[rightkindofme]

Make your baby happy and you will be happy.

 

[Quirky]

I think there's nothing wrong with letting her ride in the stroller, if it works for both of you! I also think there's nothing wrong with gently persuading her that being carried on mama is a good thing, too. Whether it's in a back carry or in a carrier like a wrap or the Pikkolo that allows you to do a forward facing out position, or a ring sling or hip carrier that allows her to see out, there are lots of ways to BW that give baby a good view.

 

[snuggly]

Thanks for the ideas and support. I'll keep on with what makes her happy but also try other carry positions- It must be meant to be, I just found a frontward facing carrier at the goodwill!