Contributor Isobel Benesch An afternoon spent wandering the streets of downtown Carlsbad, exploring tiny shops, grabbing green smoothies, and watching the train run through the middle of it all with my two boys is what our summer days are made up of. And our afternoon is happy, seamless, and carefree thanks to babywearing. Instead of having to navigate a stroller in and out of narrow doorways, through groups of people, and around tables filled with hungry diners, I can go about my afternoon freely with two extra hands, something I consider vitally important now that I have two children versus one. Baby Gray is kept intimately close so I can quickly assess and attend to his needs and he is held up high where he has a good view of everything going on around him allowing him to best learn about and interact with his surrounding environment. I have two free hands for Holden that enable me to help him scale rocks, stop his smoothie from tipping over, tickle him in the grass, and hold hands to cross the street. With Gray snugly bound across my chest, it feels as though he is an intimate part of it all while allowing me to fully engage with Holden who never seems to stop telling us stories. Babywearing allows me to feel as though I am there for both of my babies at the same time 100% of the time and able to freely enjoy my afternoon with both of them without any stress.
Photography by Chrissy Powers
