I like my Infantino baby carrier.

Originally we had gotten an infant sling carrier for Mrs. Goose to carry the baby around in but she didn’t like it, and it was a little too small for me to use, plus it seemed vaguely unsafe so it sat on a shelf and she got a another one that worked well for her and worked with breast feeding and nap time, etc. But we didn’t have one for dad. Then, sure enough, the other carrier WAS unsafe, we got a recall notice in the mail and I wouldn’t have even done it since, by then, he was over a year old and walking and we didn’t really need one, but hey … free stuff.

So this is what they sent me:

1) I like it because strollers don’t work for me. Not really. I have about a three foot inseam, and now I’m on my 3rd kid and I still haven’t found a stroller that doesn’t break my stride (Thank you Matthew Wilder). So if we are out walking with the carrier I can go faster, smoother, and I even get a little better heart workout. We’re talking super low impact, but still … it helps. Mrs. Goose says he’s too heavy like that, but it’s not too heavy for me because, unlike with a stroller, I can stand fully upright so his little weight gets transferred to my legs and feet. And I can go out on trails with no trouble looking around for bushes and roots, as long as I pay reasonable attention to where I am going. I took some pictures of us on one hike in Lester Park. We’d never move like this with a stroller.

2) Every time I wear it I get to chuckle at a reminder of this exchange from the movie “Away We Go”

LN: [to Roderick] They bought us a stroller.
Burt Farlander: What’s wrong with a stroller?
LN: I LOVE my babies. Why would I want to PUSH them away from me?

3) I traveled and lived around the world in my younger days and this carrier reminds me of the colorful, strong blanket/wraps that were common in Central America and Asia and the wonderful, hard working mothers (and big sisters, but never a man) that I’d see wearing them. It has the added value of a real closeness, and he can even go to sleep in it if he wants …

4) … in fact, I think it mimics some of the womb experience for him, the warmth, the bouncing and movement and the tightness. These are things that all mothers experience to their fullest, but it is nice to experience even a little hint of it as a man. Oh … and I get a hint of the pull on my hamstrings, too.

So Happy Fathers Day to all my fellow dads out there, and thanks to the moms for giving us a shot at it. It’s by far the greatest thing I’ve ever done.