Our city is known for its obsession and indulgence in new trends. Which is probably why, after themed baby showers, quirky maternity shoots and unconventional gender reveal ideas, it’s time for babywearing activities. For the clueless, babywearing is the practice of keeping your baby or toddler attached to you, with a variety of baby carriers. We speak to city-based enthusiasts and parents about this new trend and how it helps bonding and makes care-giving easier...
Prachi Pendurkar has been a certified babywearing instructor for the past one-and-a-half year. She decided to go national and international with her ‘mompreneurial’ venture, and the idea of an International Babywearing Dance Day, a volunteer-led initiative working to raise awareness about the benefits of babywearing and babywearing dance for parents across the country.
Young mother Aarti Mehta Sharma however, believes in the bonding and care-giving elements of babywearing, more than any other practice. “I am a mother of a four-month-old and started babywearing when my baby was six weeks. Baby-wearing is a fantastic parenting tool. It provides convenience to parents and comfort to babies,” shares the ex-marketing professional. “I use a soft structured ergonomic baby carrier and I often address it as my Brahmastra! I use it for getting my baby to nap or when she is gassy or cranky. The carrier has never failed me when I need to calm my baby. It has also helped me get more active. I go for walks while wearing my baby and dance, which my baby enjoys more than me.”
Dance, drive, deliver — all with your baby in tow, and quite literally so! Shruti Jayasurya who’s a pediatric dentist and mother of eight-month-old twins, talks about how enjoying every activity with one’s ‘mini-me’ is now a reality. “Having to leave your little one behind to ensure a fun time is now a busted myth. You can actively participate in dance and Zumba lessons with the little one tied to you. Trips to the airport, chores around the house, and mild working out – it’s evidently easier and a lot more fun because it not only allows more time with the child, but helps in mobile nursing too.”
There’s bonding, there’s fashion and there’s fun. Syncing with your little one has never been this revolutionary, as believes Aparna Ravindra, a stay at home mother. “Most of the time we devalue the importance of skin-to-skin contact when it comes to nursing a baby, calling it clichéd or sappy. The benefits of it have been proven by science. All you have to do is embrace it and enjoy!”
“The baby wearing dance event is going to take place at the same time across India at various locations by our regional representatives, throughout the week of September 18. We shall be performing on a song universally chosen by the international babywearing organisation, along with our babies and toddlers,” explains the mother of twins Prachi Pendurkar who has also been teaching mothers across various cities in India and abroad through face to face/audio/video consults and various events since 2016.
