How Does A Japanese Mommy Do It?

(This post is for my friends who have orders to Japan!)

American mommies love their strollers and all the attendant accessories.  Going for a walk?  Grab the stroller.  Going to the store? Grab the stroller.  Going to lunch with a friend?  Grab the stroller!  I love my stroller and couldn't live without it when we first arrived in Japan with a six month old Little TF.  However, in Japan, strollers also cause certain hassles.  Store aisles are very narrow.  Restaurants often don't have space to store a stroller.  Train stations aren't always very stroller-friendly.  And no one with a modicum of sanity would bring their stroller onto a train during rush hour (I do have a friend that does. She is one tough cookie!).  Japanese mommies do purchase smaller strollers in the first place (No BOBs here!). But what about when space issues and difficulty of use are just too great?

Wearing wedges while wearing a baby.  Fierce.

Enter the Baby Carrier!  Of course, we have these in the States.  But how many of us American mommies actually keep using one after our kids reach six months of age?  Unless we're out hiking or trying to sooth a whiny child while cooking dinner, many of us let our baby carriers gather dust.  Not so the Japanese mommies (and Japanese daddies).  They are shopping, eating out with friends, taking older children to the park, visiting Disneyland, standing on trains, and even riding their bicycles, all while wearing their baby or toddler.

After struggling through a rush hour train with my stroller, I promptly gave up the insanity and ordered an Ergo, the most popular baby carrier in Japan (as observed by me).  Best. Decision. Ever. The design of my Ergo shifted all of Little TF's weight to my hips, which meant I could run errands for hours while wearing her.  In fact, if she weren't so tall now, I probably could still carry her almost three-year-old weight.  No more wasting time looking for a train station's elevator, no more apologizing for my stroller taking up space in a department store, no more getting stuck in huge festival crowds!  Plus, when I was wearing Little TF, I often scored a seat in the "priority seating" sections of the train.  (Everyone was probably just grateful I'd left the stroller at home).  Hooray for convenience and ease of transportation!



If you have a baby and haven't moved to Japan yet, I highly recommend snagging an Ergo.  You can buy them here or order them on Amazon, but they are on the expensive side.  It'd be great if you could find a good deal!  Ergo also makes infant inserts for young babies, and small clip-on attachments that can hold some diapers and wipes, or a snack.  Those might also be helpful!




Disclaimer:  I do my best to make sure all my information is accurate.  However, details may change or I may just be flat-out wrong.  Please let me know if something needs a correction.  Thank-you!