Did you know there is such a thing as International Babywearing Week? No? Well, there is! It is put on by Babywearing International and any non-profit babywearing group can register to be a celebrating group, even if your group isn’t an official BWI group. This year the dates are October 8 – 14. Here is a list of ideas that BWI has put up on their website to help you celebrate IBW:
Monday-Photo Shoot…Get together with other babywearers and do a group photoshoot. Share these on facebook or your blog. Make sure to distribute photo releases to the attendees so that BWI may use your photos.
Tuesday-Blog Contest…Write a blog post about your babywearing journey or why babywearing is important to you and submit a link to phoenix@babywearinginternational.org to be entered in the contest. A link to your blog post will be shared on babywearinginternational.org
Wednesday-Fashion Show…Perform a babywearing fashion show at local boutique, mom’s group, mall, etc.
Thursday-Photo Contest…Take a picture of a (safe) hands-free activities while babywearing and post it toBabywearing International’s Facebook page for a chance to win a prize.
Friday-Flash Mob…Pick a song, choreograph dance moves, find a location, and perform!
Saturday-The Main Event…Get your whole group together for a big babywearing event of your choice.
Sunday-Sharing the Tradition…Post historical babywearing pictures or pictures of cultures other than your own on the web (Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc.) to create awareness of babywearing traditions throughout history and all over the world.
The group where I live is within an hour and a half of 2 other groups, so we are meeting half way and getting all 3 of our groups together for a huge babywearing fest! It’s going to be so much fun. My group is also getting professional babywearing pictures done. A photographer is coming to one of our meet ups and will be pulling each mama aside to take a few pictures while babywearing in order for us to document this special, and all too fleeting time in our babies’ lives. We also will be going to the local farmer’s market and shop for locally grown produce, yum!
International Babywearing Week is all about spreading the babywearing love and getting the message out there that carrying your babies is wonderful and practical. It is also traditional, and thus the theme this year is “Carrying on Traditions” Many many cultures around the world carry their babies but industrialize nations have gotten away from this and don’t realize that babies need so much human contact. Babies cry for a reason… they need to be held and loved and cuddled… all day long. Some babies are content when you put them down when they are tiny, but many are not. When your baby cries, please, pick him or her up!
How will you be celebrating International Babywearing Week this year?
[...] seems fitting that this is posted during International Babywearing Week, which is October 8 to 14, [...]