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Babywearing At Its Finest
Tuesday, September 18, 2007

When my girls were still wee ones, I was one proud babywearin', breastfeedin' mama. I had a really wonderful sling that adjusted as the girls grew older. It was great and I really loved it. But I would have died for a carrier like this. Now, this is babywearing at its finest! Look at the detail and how comfortably the baby is traveling. Beautiful! This is a 1910 photo of a Chinese mom walking in San Francisco's Chinatown.

Speaking of which, did you know there is going to be a babywearing conference in October? Check it out.

Plus, as I have been going through pictures I continually run into baby accessories that I would have really loved when my girls were young. Forget a bugaboo! I would have adored a wicker stroller like this. Modernize the wheels and we'd be in business. Here are mothers sitting in Central Park in 1909.

On a more serious note, I ventured out of Depression Era photos today and into the Chinese in California Collection (1850-1925) after learning about a book called Driven Out: The Forgotten War Against Chinese Americans by Jean Pfaelzer on Book TV. Just like many of you never realized how a black mother might view the MomsRising logo, I had no clue how badly the Chinese were persecuted in this country. Men and women were even lynched. Who knew? It wasn't even on my radar. That's why learning something new each day is crucial for developing a cultured sensibility -- no matter what it is. Hope you learned something new today.

Until tomorrow!

The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley: SF Chinatown (ii): children: 13288
Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division: LC-USZ62-55954

Labels: just because

posted by Jennifer James @ 8:35 AM,

3 Comments:

At September 18, 2007 3:59 PM, Fat Lady said...: Everything old is new again. I can't tell you how many women I see walking the streets of NYC wearing their babies in this style carrier. They are so popular now and I considered getting one for my Spice, but ended using my Maya Wrap sling and Ergo carrier.

And prams of the style you picture are also frequently seen in Central Park, though not wicker ones. I think the wicker is so beautiful - but I can understand why they haven't become popular again, because it can be quite fragile. I was given a wicker basinette-type basket and little pieces broke off quite easily.

I have been aware, though I haven't researched it in depth, how poorly Chinese Americans have been treated in the past - as well as Japanese Americans. Unfortunately, the US really does have a nasty history of treating various ethnic groups very poorly.
At September 19, 2007 9:25 AM, Jennifer James said...: I miss wearing my girls. That picture made me all nostalgic about how special it was when they were little.
At September 20, 2007 12:40 AM, Pixie LaRouge said...: I make slings for my friends, their friends, new babies and older babies. I made my first when my daughter was 5 and a half months old, and OH, how my life changed! She couldn't be put down, and I could suddenly do dishes again! I could go to the store alone! I could even pull up my britches after going to the restroom without having to worry about dropping her in the potty (come on! We've all had to do the hold and potty at some point, surely!).

With my son, I started slinging from the begining, and have started to try out other types of slings and carriers. He loves to be able to look around, and I love having him so close. It's nice to be able to "talk" to him in the store, when I'm really talking to myself, so I don't look like an idiot LOL

Not to mention how convenient it is to put my face in that new baby smell when he's snuggled on my chest :)

And my 6th grade history teacher taught us about the atrocities against the Chinese in the US. He was survivor of a WWII prison camp, and he had no patience for any sort of intolerance (and yes, I do see the irony in that statement). I learned more about the world and more about how to see the world, both as it was/is and how it should be, from that teacher than I have from any other or any professor I've ever known.