FARGO, N.D. - On a warm night last week, 11-month-old Eve was snuggled up against her mother, Erin Brand.
But instead of being in Brand's arms, the baby was in a woven wrap on the mother's back, looking content.
"Right now, I can be hands-free," said Brand, who lives in Moorhead, Minn., and is an advocate for babywearing, the practice of carrying a baby in a sling or backpack, rather than by hand or using a stroller.
Brand is one of a group of babywearing enthusiasts who recently founded Babywearing International of Fargo-Moorhead an affiliate of the nonprofit Babywearing International.
Babywearing, advocates say, allows parents to multi-task and also contributes to a strong bond between parent and child.
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Sarah Estep-Larson, a lawyer in Fergus Falls, Minn., was one of dozens who attended the group's launch at Lindenwood Park last week. She was wearing her 1-year-old daughter, Nora, who sometimes accompanies her mother at the office when she's working late.
"I can bring her to work with me and she's usually happy," said Estep-Larson, 28. "She's really content and she's out of everything else, too. So it keeps her safe and happy and I can still get on with everyday stuff."
Maggie Schiele, a 22-year-old Moorhead mother of two, said babywearing allows her to stay active. When she goes to the grocery store, she wears babies Theodore on the front and Cale on the back--a practice called "tandem wearing."
"I can still get things done and just not sit at my house and feel stuck," Schiele said.
Married Fargo couple Elizabeth and Tyler Burslie are both babywearers. Elizabeth likes to carry a baby in a wrap, while Tyler prefers a carrier with a buckle.
"Our kids actually prefer to be worn," said Tyler Burslie, 29, who works in a bakery. His youngest child likes to take naps in the carrier. "So, it's kind of cool."
Babywearers say that apart from the convenience, the practice is comforting for the child and leads to less crying.
Marilea Bramer, a university professor who lives in Fargo, said she is heading to Europe for vacation and will not be taking a stroller.
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The 36-year-old said the importance of babywearing is in "the time you spend with your kids."
"When I'm with them, the ability to wear them allows me to bond with them in a way I couldn't otherwise," Bramer said. "Plus, I get stuff done."
