Jennifer Andersen
Hands-free: LuluBean’s Cynthia Bachhuber and daughter Greta demo proper babywearing form.
When my son was just a few months old, I found myself with a handful of baby carriers. You know, those things with strange names like Ergo, Björn and Moby that allow caregivers to strap or wrap a baby onto their body for hands-free snuggles. Unfortunately, I had absolutely no idea how to use of any of them. Inspired by friends in other cities who had worked one-on-one with “babywearing consultants,” I started looking for someone to help me figure it all out.
I reached out in February via Facebook to Babywearing International of Madison (BWI-Madison), a chapter of the nonprofit Babywearing International. BWI-Madison’s Facebook group has more than 800 members, and 40 to 50 people and their babies regularly show up at the twice-monthly meetings to learn about different types of carriers, get one-on-one support and check out carriers and wraps from a lending library.
But I could not find anyone in the Madison area for hire as a babywearing consultant. You know, someone who would show up at my house and help me learn how to use those carriers sitting in my closet.
A month later, a post in BWI-Madison’s Facebook group caught my eye. One of the group’s founding members, Cynthia Bachhuber, had started LuluBean Babywearing to provide babywearing education, consulting and support. (Bachhuber is accredited as a babywearing educator by Babywearing International.) This is what I had been looking for!
I contacted Bachhuber immediately for a consult. Not long after, she came to my house and spent an hour helping me understand how to use the carriers I already owned to “wear” my son. From small adjustments (tightening a strap) to bigger ideas (certain carriers might work better when my son is a little older), she helped me gain the confidence that I needed.
Bachhuber says that she started LuluBean for people like me who are looking for one-on-one instruction. “With LuluBean, I can have space and time to really connect with caregivers on their terms,” she says. “It also gives options to parents of new babes or those who can’t make it out to BWI-Madison meetings to have someone come to them without totally reshuffling their schedule.”
Bachhuber offers two primary services: hour-long in-home visits and 30-minute Skype consults, which, she says, are great for smaller issues like checking the fit of a carrier or following up on questions from an in-home visit. Prices range from $20 to $70 for a consult, depending on the format and length.
“I tend to get called in when things aren’t working,” she says. “Often, people contact me after they’ve acquired three or four carriers and don’t feel confident in any of them. Sometimes it’s when someone felt great with one type of carrier and now the baby has grown and it’s no longer working as well for them.”
An hour-long in-home consult is the most thorough option, in which the time is individualized and directed by what the client wants. “We can try on several different types of carriers, tweak the fit of the options you already own, work on breast or bottle feeding while wearing, or learn how to get baby on your back,” Bachhuber says. If a client doesn’t have any carriers or would like to experiment with something new, she can bring some along to try.
Babywearing, she emphasizes, is not just for moms. “Not only is it great for biological mothers, I’m a huge advocate of babywearing for nongestational parents: dads, adoptive parents, same-sex couples.”
Bachhuber, a mom herself, finds there are many advantages to babywearing: “Sharing adventures from the same vantage point, feeling your babe fall asleep on your chest, playing peek-a-boo.” The practice gives freedom while also being able to meet the baby’s needs.”
As for me and my son, we’re loving the freedom, too. In fact, we like babywearing so much, our stroller is literally gathering dust on the front porch.
