AROUND 100 mothers in Cagayan de Oro City gathered in the activity center of Centrio Ayala Mall last Saturday, October 6, raising awareness on the benefit of babywearing as part of the International Babywearing Week celebration.
The activity is an annual event conducted by the Modern Nanays of Mindanao (MNM) to celebrate the advantages and joys that babywearing brought to the females in their motherhood. This year’s theme is "Painting Memories, Weaving Bonds,"
"Ang babywearing man gyud (Babywearing) helps us paint more beautiful memories with our kids kasi diba (because) when you are babywearing, you are so mobile, you are able to do so many things, traveling with your little ones is not a hassle," Nadine Angelica Casino, the founder of MNM, said.
"When you weave something and you weave it tight, it’s really a weave of different memories, it’s like a tapestry, murag (like) a piece of strong cloth na mabuhat nimo (that you can create) with your child when you are babywearing. That's what it means, painting memories, weaving bonds, because every moment with your little ones is like a piece of thread that you are weaving together, memories with your friends and your families," she added.
Last Saturday's activity involved games and talks about like the proper carrier, the different kinds of carriers, and the proper way and safety of wearing a baby.
"We also taught moms about the impact of gadgets used sa (in the) development sa (of a) young child. Nag babywearing parade pud mi around sa mall para (so that) the people will know that babywearing is safe and its very good for the babies," Casino said.
According to Casino, it will be the last activity that the MNM will do for this year.
The Modern Nanays of Mindanao is a recognized mother support group that protects and promotes natural infant and young child care to provide the best foundations for lifelong health.
The group's advocacy involves mainly on breastfeeding, cloth diapering and babywearing.