Post Fodder: do babies belong at the bar? | The Happiest Mom

But while I believe moms have the right to be out in the world — which sometimes means being out in the world with our children — I also believe we have responsibilities. We have to be conscientious about where we take our children, and when, and why, and for how long. We have to consider the needs of the host, the other guests, and our kids.

After reading Steph’s post about bringing her baby to BlogHer, and thinking over the comments I’d read on Kristen’s and Katie’s posts, I spent a little while feeling uncomfortable with my decision to take Clara along to the conference (as well as a handful of the after-hours parties). After all, from reading the comments it’s easy to see that a lot of people thought it was a bad mom move.

via thehappiestmom.com

BlissDom will be my first conference to take Olive to (not in utero), followed by BlogHer in August. The topic of babywearing and what is appropriate and when is high on my list right now.

BlissDom should prove to be a good test run, as it is much smaller than BlogHer and very baby-friendly. That said, I do have a plan and... wow, people have a lot to say on this matter. Be sure to check out the comments on this solid post-BlogHer 2009 piece by Meagan Francis. I'll post on this soon at Velveteen Mind.

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Comments

[Adventures In Babywearing]

I will be bringing Ivy, but doing things MUCH differently at Blissdom. I don't plan on taking her into any bars LOL and won't be staying out late anywhere. I PLAN to retire early to my room and hang out with her quietly there, welcoming anyone that wants to come chat with me. I think the downtime will be nice.

If I take her into any sessions or areas where people are speaking, I'll of course be respectful and take her out if she could be a distraction, etc.

I love how Kristen hired a sitter from Sitter City to come stay with her baby in the room- and am planning to do something similar while I'm speaking on my workshop & panel.

Tiny babies are different, I think, especially when you can wear them and hold them close. But I was pretty surprised at the reaction of some people when they saw me have a baby- even if she was sleeping on me- if it was "after" bedtime or at a party. That is definitely shaping my decisions about where I take her from now on.

Steph

[The Diaper Diaries]

Hmmmm.... I am bringing the new baby.....and the hubby. But I plan on keeping him with me a lot since he is nursing. But I will probably stick the hubby with him at night for a few events. But we should have a "in room" mommy party so we can still feel social. There will be a lot of us with kids.

BTW- I feel like the Blissdom crowd is a bit more baby friendly than BlogHer. Don't you?

[Leisa Hammett]

K. Like I promised myself to be unplugged this evening. Then as I ate a snack, well, I came here and took a peek. So, I've not read ALL the comments, but I read enough to feel a little disgusted. Women! We're all women, largely, at these conferences. We need to be about women. And women have babies. We need (and I don't use the word "need" lightly) to support one another in our choices. Some of us choose to have children and that doesn't mean we have to turn off our brains or pull the shades down on our lives. Get over it, people. And wear a thick coat of honor (actually, I meant to write armor there...,)Megan. You are doing what you believe is the right thing for you and Olive. Hold your head high and your baby wherever you want (as long as it's safe, of course). You are a woman. You are a mother. You are a writer. You are a blogger. Bring that baby. Bring her on! And don't give a damn if someone doesn't like it. (And, of course, be considerate and remove her if she cries.) I personally love seeing the mothers and the babies and I'm not particularly an ewe-baby type woman. But I understand and believe and honor in the importance of baby bonding and mothering. It passes fast. And if this were half the cultures around the world our panties would not be in a wad over this! (Then again, we might be stuck in huts and not going to blogging conferences.) So, most of us at these events are out of the hut. Let's honor the individual choices and stages we are all in. Good grief. Sorry. Rant off.