Wearing Baby, Car-Free
by Zane Schwaiger

We didn’t get too many raised eyebrows for living car-free in the city as a newly married couple, although my Dad was a bit skeptical. However, as soon as we announced that we were going to have a baby, we got lots of advice. “You’re going to need a car,” was a common remark.

Perhaps we would have needed to buy a car if it weren’t for our discoveries in babywearing. It all started with a stretchy wrap (we have and highly recommend the “kari-me”) when tiny baby Amabel was only a week old. My husband and I wrapped her up on our bodies daily. She could always be comforted in the wrap and we could go anywhere with her – walking or on the bus. I couldn’t imagine putting her in a car seat when she was so peaceful snuggled up close to me.

We graduated to a woven wrap (and now I cannot imagine babywearing without our “Didymos”) when Amabel was around four months old. With the help of fellow babywearers at NINO meetings, I learned the art of wrapping. I’m convinced that there is a perfect wrap carry for every occasion and outing; whether observing or nursing, alert or asleep, Amabel is still completely content to travel close to me. Now when she sees me starting to wrap, she crawls toward me eagerly and pulls on the folds of fabric.

You may have seen us around Pittsburgh – hiking through Frick Park, traveling on the bus, grocery shopping, exploring the library, perusing the farmer’s market. . . always wearing our baby. After ten wonderful months with Amabel in our life, we haven’t found ourselves longing for a car. In fact, we don’t even have a stroller!