If you want to give the parents-to-be the best gift, you can't do better than a baby that can be worn. A long time ago, you could only take your baby with you in a stroller or pram or by holding her. All of that changed when the soft baby carrier came along. It was a way to carry your baby while still being able to use your arms and hands for other things.
Babies that can be worn are not a new idea in this culture. Native American women carried their babies on boards called papoose boards on their backs or in a swath of deerskin close to their bodies. In many places, babies are carried in sling carriers, which are pleated pieces of fabric that are tied over one shoulder and hold the baby against the hip on the other side. No one doubts that babies who are "snugli'd" are happier and easier to put down when it's time to do so.
About 25 years ago, Snugli, a brand name soft baby carrier that is now sold by Evenflo, brought back the idea of carrying a baby on your back. About that time, my oldest daughter was born. The idea of having her close to me fit so well with everything I believed about raising kids that I had to have one. At the time, they were hard to find, so I made one myself using a pattern that was passed around from mother to mother in my La Leche League group. I've seen firsthand how helpful it is to be able to wear your baby.
It was more than just a way for me to carry my daughter. That was her pacifier. When nothing could stop her from crying in the afternoon, I would put her in the Snugli, where the warmth of my body and the rhythm of my movements would calm and reassure her. I learned to use the Snugli to my advantage. I wore my baby while I vacuumed the carpet, walked to the store, and hiked through Purgatory Chasm. In the winter, I put her in her Snugli and held her close to my chest. I just buttoned my coat over us both. When she was old enough to sit up on her own, I turned it around to the back so she could ride piggyback, while her baby brother took her place in a new Snugli on my chest.
Snugli now makes both soft and hard baby carriers that can fit babies from birth to 18 months. There are many different patterns and colours, as well as different thicknesses of padding and weights for winter and summer. You can buy a Snugli at any Toys R Us, Kmart, Walmart, or any of dozens of other stores. Even though a Snugli isn't really a piece of baby clothing, it is by far the most important thing your baby can wear.
