Does wearing my baby make me less of a man?

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Today’s Good Morning Britain, hosted by Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid, discussed whether men should use baby carriers, baby slings or Papooses. 

The debate comes after several male celebrities, including Orlando Bloom, have been photographed wearing their babies. 

As a dad of 3, I loved using a baby carrier, having tried out many slings and carriers in my time. However, Piers Morgan says he would never use the baby accessory, agreeing to this statement, 

The adoption of the papoose by some men is the best example of emasculation I have ever seen. They look ridiculous.  

Susanna Reid went on to defend baby carrying dads by saying, 

It’s men looking after their children. 

Adding that, she believes that baby wearing is, 

Very appealing to lot’s of women. 

Piers stated that he would rather carry his 4 children in his ‘protective, paternal’ arms than ever use a papoose. He called men who carry their babies, ’embarrassing.’ 

Quentin Wilson supported Piers by stating, 

It is not a good look. 

He likened the baby carriers to ‘carrying a baby around my neck in a bag.’ 

Masculine firefighter, Mat Riley, called the ‘definition of a hero’ by Susanne proudly wore his beautiful daughter Elsie as a prime example of the modern day, baby-wearing dad. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BobFN3wlRXi/?taken-by=thelifeofrileyfamily

Piers and Quentin state that baby-wearing is a generational trend, similar to, 

Socks with sandals, cargo shorts, peppermint tea and kale.

Piers added, 

Anything that is masculine anymore is now a stick to be beaten with. You are not allowed to be masculine.





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You have to be what the radical feminists want you to be, which is a pathetic little doormat that’s been emasculated

Susanna, however, suggested that babywearing dads would gain ‘more attention from women and that women like to see men wearing a papoose.’ 

Piers replied, 

Not real women. 

Saying that real women would never actually want to be with a man that wears his child. 

The Dads from TheDadsnet could disagree more. Amongst the 14,000 dads in the online Facebook Community, a wide range of baby carriers, baby slings, and papooses are used. 

Here are some of them in action, proudly carrying their babies. 

What do you think? Is baby wearing emasculating? 

Head over to our new forum to have your say.

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13 Comments

  1. Sam Walsh

    I don’t see any issue in a father carrying their child, I have done and don’t see the issue. Really I don’t think the question about masculinity and how yours is effected should really come in to how you raise your child, they are two separate subjects I don’t think at any point your social image should come above you doing the best for your child and caring for them in the way you see best. And I for one am not going to be taking masculinity advice/lessons from piers Morgan who I don’t think would know proper masculinity if it walked up and slapped him in the face.

  2. Rhys

    It doesn’t take a lot for piers Morgan to get my back up… I think it’s time he got in the sea!

    All about the carrier, meant I could take our little one on long hikes and into nature where her little legs would tire too soon. Winner

  3. Kim. H

    Personally I think the very definition of a real man, is somebody who cares for his children and supports his family! Both of which baby wearing do! As a wife and a mother it makes me so proud of my partner when I see him carrying the little humans that we created. Baby wearing is accepted the world over as a parenting practice and every dad (and mum) should give it a try!

  4. Milla

    It’s obvious surely – Piers is a bigoted, racist, misogynistic dinosaur whose concept of masculinity is so far out of date that anyone who actually agrees with him is probably drawing their pension. Time to retire this pillock instead of giving him a skidding voice and acting like he speaks for anyone but himself and other old farts.

  5. Scott Moore - The Voice Of A Father

    I loved having my boy sit in the carrier, to feel him close to my chest.

    A father being a father, nothing could be more masculine. Men raising warriors to take on the world, men raising loving caring boys and girls who will heal the next generation, whats more masculine then raising a generation?
    Carry them in your masculine arms??? I would prefer to use those arms to protect and defend them.

    I did use a carrier, and I would use it again in a heartbeat.

  6. El

    My husband babywearing (or toddler / preschooler) is one of the things that makes everyone happy and make a our family work. Piers Morgan emasculates men by trying to represent something he doesn’t understand. A real man does what’s right for the people he loves, he doesn’t make statements to just upset people and gain attention.

  7. Mikael Smith

    No dad should be made to feel wrong for carrying their kid!! I love carrying both ours!

  8. Nick - Papalondon

    It’s Piers Morgan. If he had been for it I might have questioned my tendency to carry my daughter in a baby carrier, but since he’s against it I feel relieved, validated and confirmed in my belief that it’s definitely something real men do.

    His obsessive focus on whether it makes a man more “masculine” merely confirms that he has problems with his own masculinity. Why else would he be so attentive to what he thinks others perceive. To each his own, but if Piers thinks his suits somehow emphasise his masculinity I have bad news for him.

    I love carrying my younger daughter in the baby-carrier, although I wouldn’t refer to it as “baby wearing”. We have a great stretchy wrap which we’ll use until she’s over 5kg, then we’ll switch to the Stokke. She loves it too, which is a far more important reason to keep doing it.

  9. Nick @ PapaLondon

    It’s Piers Morgan. If he had been for it I might have questioned my tendency to carry my daughter in a baby carrier, but since he’s against it I feel relieved, validated and confirmed in my belief that it’s definitely something real men do.

    His obsessive focus on whether it makes a man more “masculine” merely confirms that he has problems with his own masculinity. Why else would he be so attentive to what he thinks others perceive. To each his own, but if Piers thinks his suits somehow emphasise his masculinity I have bad news for him.

    I love carrying my younger daughter in the baby-carrier, although I wouldn’t refer to it as “baby wearing”. We have a great stretchy wrap which we’ll use until she’s over 5kg, then we’ll switch to the Stokke. She loves it too, which is a far more important reason to keep doing it.

  10. Fergus JusticeMills

    Piers Morgan…he really isn’t doing us Men any favours as his opinions are often divisive to get his own profile raised ….saying that carrying a child around in a papoose or sling is a practical solution when you’re helping your partner by having both hands free to hold shopping push a buggy with your other child in it or whatever. I used one and felt incredibly masculine protective and close to my son and proud to do so.

  11. Daniel

    In Piers Morgan’s defence he is a massive plank who has made a name for himself by being anti.
    I personally had a carrier for my daughter when she was tiny for walking the dog through the local woods, trips to the seaside and shopping at Christmas. Mostly because I loved to be able to have her close to me, protect her, show her the world and talk to her about it, talk about the Christmas lights as she was old enough to be in the carrier then. It freed us to be able to get to places a buggy could not.
    My boy was not a keen on the carrier. But I daughter always had a little leg dance and was always looking at something new and shiny.
    Loved every second.
    Now she has a piggy back.

  12. Adam King

    Piers Morgan is an unbelievable gobshite ?

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