Babywearing in the Rain

Rainy day? Challenge accepted!

Let me start with the obvious: I’m not saying you should look outside, see the rain and think “oh, cool, today I’ll grab the baby and we’ll go for a stroll in the rain.” But sometimes you simply have to go out.
You have to pick up your older child from school. You have to run to the pharmacy or grab something from the shop and you have no one to leave the baby with. Or maybe you left the house in sunshine and half an hour later it’s raining.

Your Asteraki will save the day! You know how hard it is to hold both a stroller and an umbrella, to dodge puddles and streams of water, and it’s simply impossible if you’re also holding an older child by the hand. We’ve only got two hands (so far)! But if the baby is in the carrier, your hands are free. You’ll hold the umbrella and you’ll both fit under it just fine.
Check that it really does cover the baby too. Don’t forget the baby is in front of you (while you usually hold the umbrella tilted slightly backwards). It’s very easy to end up dry yourself while the baby gets drizzle on their head!

If it’s cold too, that’s one more reason to use the carrier. You can wear the carrier under your own jacket, and the baby will be lovely and warm and protected.
I’ve written more about babywearing in the cold here.

If we’re not talking about a sudden drizzle, but you know you’ll need to be out in the rain, there’s also the all-weather carrier cover. It’s waterproof, fits all carriers and goes on over the baby (while you can wear whatever jacket or coat suits you). It’s one of those things you may not need every day, but if you do the school run for an older child every day, get around mostly on foot, or can’t afford to cancel everything each time it rains, it’s really useful.

Plus the quick in-and-outs will be so much easier. You pop into the pharmacy or the supermarket, close your umbrella and all is well. No wet stroller that can only get in from certain spots, which might now be flooded.

If you know in advance that you’ll be heading out in the rain, put the baby in the carrier while you’re still indoors or under cover. It’s clearly better than trying to tie the carrier with one hand while holding the umbrella with the other.

Obviously all of this applies to light rain. We’re not talking about a storm, or strong winds, thunder and generally weather you shouldn’t be out in anyway. (For cases like that you can also check the Civil Protection guidelines for storms). In any case, for ordinary rain, the kind that catches you when you’re already out or the kind you simply can’t wait out, grab your Asteraki and a big umbrella and off we go!

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