A note from an educator

@kayleey_your_moon Thank you so much for helping me a few weeks ago, it has changed the game for me and baby and I are so much more comfortable. I’m sorry you’re frustrated but I really appreciate your help and your info here!
 
@kayleey_your_moon I appreciate you working so hard to correct misinformation. It's a tiring and thankless job. I've been babywearing for 26 years and involved in the online babywearing community and an educator/advocate for 16. Everything is cyclical and trends come and go. Some things have come back in recent years and others have fallen out of popularity. Losing BWI was a big blow to the free education model and community at large has changed. Only so much can be shared and taught online because every babywearer and wearee are unique and different. Video tutorials often don't show small tweaks or tricks that can help someone have the best experience possible. Babywearing groups on social media platforms are not great for teaching either. There is just too much to know and when you have an international model like reddit is, there are very different practices and beliefs depending on where in the world you are. The european babywearing best practices are very different from what we do and teach in north america. It's not wrong, but it can be different, have different rules, different popular carriers. I've been at this a very long time and I still learn new things. It's definately frustrating and I have had to tap out many times over the years for my own mental health. It's ok to step away. But I hope you will come back. This post is excellent and valuable. I hope everyone reads and stops voting down things that are different than what you have been told/taught. Ask why. Start a discussion if you don't understand or have been told differently. It's ok to disagree or have a different experiance. But in the end we all can learn from each other. Hugs OP.
 
@foxmulder Thank you so much. Things have changed so much in the last 5 years and then the last 2 years ripped everything to shreds. I hope babywearing communities become a thing again. It has brought me a lot of comfort over the years. It's always great to meet other educators especially people who have been wearing so long.
 
@kayleey_your_moon You're so right about the changes in the community. I'm glad I learned the basics with my eldest almost 11 years ago. When I went looking for refreshers and tandem wearing tips when my twins were born almost 2 years ago there was nowhere near the amount of support and advice available as there used to be. I likely wouldn't be wearing them if I hadn't already known the basics. Thanks for being old school!
 
@shawnlo I miss the good old days. I don't like babywearing to feel like an exclusive club or so corporate. It used to be about small woman owned businesses and community. About common interest. I love that babywearing continues to be more and more mainstream, I just wish parents today could feel the camaraderie on it and were open to things you can't buy on Amazon.
 
@kayleey_your_moon I hope so!

Babywearing was the best comfort I had during a really terrible postpartum period, but there's no way I would have figured out how to continue it past a stretchy wrap without my local baby wearing group. The SSC I'd bought in preparation for my kid didn't work for me at all, and I was intimidated by woven wraps and didn't know meh dais existed.
 
@kayleey_your_moon Ok now I have to ask if you're an educator in the group I've been a member of for six years, which also reformed after bwi disbanded :) but essentially if you're into crabs and Bohs I'll assume it's a yes.

This really should get stickied.
 
@kayleey_your_moon First of all, thank you for this post. I was about to drop $150 on the ergo and had never heard about the meh dai. Second of all, please don’t go we need you. And lastly, where do I find one of you near me? I need this kind of guidance.
 
@cdaughtry Thank you for your kind words.

I don't know how up to date their database is, I'm guessing not very since I see an educator in my area who doesn't live here anymore, but The Center For Babywearing Studies is a good place to start. But I would look for a babywearing group in your area or parenting groups for your area on Facebook to see if there is a long term babywearer who might want to do a park meetup or something. There aren't many active educators left sadly. But most babywearers I know are passionate about wearing and want to share the love.
 
@kayleey_your_moon Are you by chance in the Chicagoland area? I wonder if this is one of the only chapters that survived the dissolution of babywearing international. I'm in the group but haven't gotten to meetings. I'm due with #2 I'm August and looking forward to coming and trying some new things though!

Thanks for your work and education! It's thankless but so important.
 
@kayleey_your_moon Hi there! Thank you so much for posting this. I’ve been trying to look for local educators in my area but to no avail. Would you be able to inform me (even if it’s through online or zoom) of anyone or any orgs that are reputable and certified to help me in wearing my baby correctly and safely? I started with a boba stretchy but just invested in a didymos woven wrap. Once I get the hang of it i’d like to invest in a few more woven wraps but want to make sure I can get it right! Thanks!
 
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