to think babywearing can maybe go a bit far when it leads you to...

[Buyanewcoatofmanycolours]

wear a really dull coat forever?

Now I am a fan in general of baby wearing. Really enjoyed slinging my three all over the place but there is a mum who lives near me and I've noticed something about her attire which troubles me.

She has three boys and they look about two years apart each. In the time I've seen her at school she's just had the baby in the sling - now a fairly big toddler - but assuming she did the same with the others she must have been continuously carrying her sons for about 6 years - and wearing maternity gear too for 27 months of that time!
So that's all great but in the spring she wears a fleece sleeveless tabard which has a hole for the babies head and covers both of them and in the winter she wears the dullest coat I've ever seen which has zips fitted for access to the baby/sling. It just makes me rather depressed to think that she's been wearing this tbh hideous garment for so long. I don't get why she doesn't wear something - anything else - and put the baby on over that? Is that what other people do - I certainly did.

I know this is breathtakingly shallow of me but our clothes are a big part of our sense of self and I just fret a bit about somebody whose sense of self is so subjugated to their child.

AIBU (as well as nosy and with too muc time on my hands )

Never mind her coat, where does she put her shopping?

I care enough about what I wear to want it to be comfortable, clean and preferably khaki/dark greenish, I just don't care that much. I think this is because I used to be fat and clothes were part of the depressing bit. Now I probably could just go and buy anything off the rack, but I don't think to do so and really just can't be arsed.

I carried DS1 and DS2 around a lot, had a khaki coloured hugabub. In the winter I wear jeans, a light t-shirt, dress baby in light clothes and then put my big overcoat over both of us. Don't care what it looks like as long as we are both comfortable.

Clothes might be a big part of your self, but to me they are something to put on so I am not naked.

mawbroom, atm, i carry one ata time (ds is under 3 weeks old), but am working up to carry them both. atm my hips are still recovering from pregnancy and ache a little. i did carry dd4 throughout my pregnancy and the coat was great as would go over dd4 and the bump.

Maisie - I am with you on the wearing thing. I carry. `i don't wear!

Err - so wearing lipstick and high heels means you're not a good mother?

Well it's notif your baby has excema on their face and it's just underneath your lips and heels and slings don't mix if you are as unco-ordinated as me (actually life and heels don't mix....).

You did notice the '' and the wink though didn't you? Usually denoters of sarcasm I'm sure millions of women are good mothers and they also wear lipstick'n'heels but in my case it's not good mothering to be falling over whilst slinging baby and causing excema flare ups.

I don't own a pram or stroller and use wraps and SSCs for my 2.5 year old (she needs to be napped in one each day.

Neither me nor my husband own dull coats. I wear either a fur coat, a cashmere coat, a Vanessa Bruno leather jacket, or a Burberry trench, Husband wears a Bellstaff motorbike jacket.

And I carry everything in a normal handbag.

Didn't realise you had to wear nasty clothes to be a mother.

Neither 'I' oops