When Aurora’s Lisa Heurung was pregnant she was surprised to find the wide range of baby carriers on the market.
Trying to decide which one to add to her baby registry was nearly impossible, she said.
Heurung did add one to the registry which she has now lent out to friends since her 7-month-old daughter, Anastasia, did not like it.
Now, she attends the monthly meetings of Babywearing International’s North Central Illinois chapter where she is able to try out different devices for babies, even taking one home for a month through the nonprofit organization’s lending library.
Babywearing International is a nonprofit organization with more than 85 chapters across the country whose mission is to promote “babywearing,” which the group describes as “the practice of keeping your baby or toddler close and connected to you as you engage in daily activities through the use of one of a variety of types of baby carriers.”
In its fourth year in existence, the North Central Illinois chapter has six meetings a month across Illinois including one in Aurora at the Fox Valley United Methodist Church on the third Saturday of the month from 10 a.m. to noon.
The organization has about 125 members, Alieta Guntly, the North Central chapter’s vice president, said.
Guntly often used baby carriers when her two sons were young, because “they didn’t want to be in a stroller or car seat, they wanted to be carried.”
Now with two sons, ages 5 and 7, Guntly is passing along her expertise about the different types of baby wearing devices.
“We are there to provide education on how to wear a baby safely and comfortably,” she added.
As part of the meetings, volunteers bring different types of baby wearing carriers and help new parents learn how to use them correctly.
Sometimes new parents come once or twice to see the assortment of baby carriers available in the lending library and then go out and purchase one of their own, Guntly said.
Other people decide to become members, which allows them to check out different carriers each month, something that can be beneficial as a child grows in size and changes in preferences, group officials said.
With a $30 annual membership fee, it is “an affordable way to become a babywearer,” Guntly said.
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Guntly said studies show that babies who are worn tend to cry less. Babywearing also promotes a healthy bond between the caregiver and the child, she said.
“Without a bulky car seat or stroller, trips to the store are much easier,” Guntly added.
There are primarily four types of baby wearing devices that parents use: “woven or stretchy wraps, ring slings, Meh Dais, and buckle carriers which are more familiar to people,” Guntly said.
Baby wearing devices mimic where you would naturally hold a child, she added.
“The key is to find something that works for the parent as well as the child,” she said.
Jamie Wall, a mother of six ranging from 14 years old to 15 months, said she knew “a little bit about babywearing when her oldest was tiny.”
However, once she had a newborn and another daughter who didn’t walk, Wall said she began “babywearing” regularly.
Wall now is a volunteer educator at the Aurora meetings to help other new moms learn about babywearing options.
“There are so many options, but there really is something for every type of baby,” Wall said.
Some babies prefer to face out and some prefer to face in, she added.
Marissa Cerny of Crest Hill has attended several meetings in an effort to find which type of babywearing device works best for her and her baby — 6-month-old daughter Charlotte prefers a baby carrier that faces out.
“There are so many carriers out there and coming here is a great way to find what works best for you and your baby,” she said.
Cathy Janek is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.