If you have photos of a great man in your life wearing your baby, and you'd be willing to share for a REAL MEN WEAR BABIES photo collage that will appear here, send to Born2BWorn@gmail.com. Include any information if you would like (name/location/baby's age/type of sling/wrap) or you can send anonymously without any info.The purpose of this collection is to demonstrate that fathers DO frequently wear their little ones as well as mothers, and to encourage other dads to give it a try.
Babywearing has been shown to significantly impact attachment, bonding, and trust between fathers and their children - a social bond that lasts into the teenage years and beyond. Father babywearing as also been shown to decrease stress hormones and lower blood pressure and hypertension in both men and their babies.
Let's get Dad involved alongside Mom!
*CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON BABYWEARING AND INTERNATIONAL BABYWEARING WEEK GOING ON NOW*
UPDATE: The "Real Men Wear Babies" Photo Gallery has been relocated to this page.
My husband frequently wears one or the other of our twins in a mai-tei. But I don't think I have any photos of it... Thanks for the idea, I will have to get someone to snap a shot of the two of us, each with a baby strapped on the back :)
ReplyDeleteI do have a photo of him wearing our first in a Baby Bjorn, but I'm not sure if that counts? Since we were turned on to "real" slings, the BB is gathering dust in the basement. I can't even bring myself to give it to someone.
Janet ... why can't you bring yourself to give it to someone? Without our Bjorn, my husband would not be able to carry our daughter at all ... he's a rather large man, and that's what fits and is comfortable for him. Does that mean he's not a "real" babywearing dad?
ReplyDeleteI think the term "a real man...." should always be avoided. Let's not define masculinity and what 'real' men should be considered. All men are allowed to be as diverse as the next.
ReplyDeletebut besides that - baby wearing fathers are great examples of confident supportive fathers.
Don't forget the grandpas! My father absolutely LOVES wearing his grandson. They take regular walks together, with my son on his back in the Mai Tai. :)
ReplyDeleteErinKate23, I'd love to see a photo of that! butterflylindamarie at yahoo dot com...
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry I came to this so late! My husband or I wore our son almost constantly for the first 6-9 months of his life. We both cherish this time. Now the little guy is three and one of the strongest, most physically fit kids we know--loves biking up to 5 miles a day (on his balance bike), helping with yard work (he especially loves shoveling dirt and hauling rocks), going on long walks and hikes. We haven't pushed him but he just wanted to be like his dad. At the time so many people asked us if we were worried that he'd somehow be weak or overly pampered. My husband (a 6 foot tall farm boy--who stays home with our family while I work) was always awesome about putting people straight. Though we disagree with societal constructs such as "real men", I also think it's helpful to remind people that men who fit the societal image of "real men" still babywear and so all sorts of loving things and raise up sons who then act like "real men" while also being emotionally intelligent, loving, gentle, etc.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.drmomma.org/2009/09/real-men-wear-babies.html
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