By Brooke Maree
Hey! You know it’s possible to educate kindly without jumping on the bandwagon of hate and shame, right? Let me get a few things straight about narrow base carriers AND forward facing.
Time and time again, on the internet and in person, new parents are judged for their choice of carrier and/or how they position their baby in it. They are often given advice with blatant disregard for their feelings, their lifestyle and needs, and where they are currently at.
I know it can feel really good to ride that high horse of ‘knowing better’, the ego loves that, but your black and white approach reflects you, and not actually the parent in front of you who’s simply trying their best with the information they have.
Parents who use a narrow base carrier or forward-face are doing something absolutely amazing by firstly wanting to carry their baby and keep them close, and secondly actually going to the effort of doing it!
Clipping their baby in and carrying them around deserves a massive round of applause and should never ever EVER be shamed or thrown in their face.
Talking about narrow base carriers not being the best option for hip development and long-term comfort is never about shaming them, it’s about saying, “Hey, you know there are some other options out there that can give you a much more enjoyable experience”.
And there’s nothing wrong with having this conversation gently. It doesn’t equal shame. We can ALWAYS be kind, it’s not hard. New mothers are fragile and parenting is bloody tough.
When parents know better, they do better, and this isn’t about shaming or putting down or touting words like “crotch dangler” and being extremely negative and putting your nose up and being snobby. No! That needs to stop. It’s about giving them a pat on the back and saying you are doing an amazing job, but just so you are aware, there are actually even better options out there that you can use too!
