Hands Free and Happy: Parenting Made Easy

By Payal Tello

What if there was a way to keep your baby close and safe, while keeping your hands free to do things. And, for bonus points, what if keeping your baby so close benefited them and you in both the short and long term? If you are looking for a way to "have your cake and eat it too," then hands-free parenting is for you!

In Hands Free and Happy, Payal Tello shares how to adult with your baby and get sh*t done! Life is hard enough to juggle before you add a baby to the mix. Work, errands, cleaning, cooking, exercise... And that is if we are lucky enough to have the motivation, dedication, and/ or time. Adding a baby who cannot feed, change, or diaper themselves doesn't make achieving your daily demands any easier, but hands-free parenting can make it all possible!  

• Language: English
• Publisher: Payal Tello
• Release date: Dec 3, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201293147

Payal Tello

“Payal (pronounced pile) is the product of immigrants from Mumbai, India. Born in Atlanta, GA (in the same hospital she gave birth in), she is the oldest first-generation child of three.She attended Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA and earned her bachelor's degree in psychology with a minor in sociology. She later returned to Georgia State to pursue her M.Ed/Ed.S in School Psychology, and complete her second bachelor's degree- however life had other plans for her.When Payal is not pursuing her passion to make the world a better place, you can usually find her outside enjoying the warm sun or with her chosen family.”

Book preview

Hands-Free

And Happy

Parenting Made Easy

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By: Payal Tello

While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

HANDS FREE AND HAPPY: PARENTING MADE EASY

First edition. December 1, 2021.

Copyright © 2021 TwinMommy101.

Written by Payal Tello.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to

Nadia and Miraya.

Thank you for choosing me to be your mother.

Thank you for teaching me what life’s about.

Thank you for helping me break the cycle.

You saved me from myself.

You are the reasons I breathe.

––––––––

No one else will ever know the strength of my love for you. After all, you are the only one(s) who know what my heart sounds like from the inside

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Love,

Mommy

It’s easier to build strong children, than to replace broken men

-Frederick Douglass

Table of Contents

Introduction

Cultural Disclaimer

Chapter 1 What Is Hands-Free Parenting?

Chapter 2 Why Is Close Contact Important?  

Chapter 3 Ways to Parent Hands-Free

Chapter 4 Best Practices

Chapter 5 When Can I Parent Hands-Free?

Chapter 6 Tips On Efficiency

Chapter 7 What Comes Next? Hands-Free Parenting Over Time

Chapter 8 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Baby

Appendix

Resources

References

Introduction

While I was pregnant, I saw a picture of a high school friend wearing her baby and I thought, That is EXACTLY how I am going to survive with twins!

My first trip to Babies R Us, however, was a total bust. I walked down the carrier aisle, and became overwhelmed with all of the options. Buckles, straps, ties, yards of material... I immediately wrote off the venture as a failure and kept it moving.

It was thanks to said friend and her support (along with many mommas on Facebook) that got me to where I am today. Not only did my friend let me borrow a wrap when I had no access to one, she even came to my house and helped me with techniques and best practices when I was ready to take the plunge. (I would have never tried if she had not driven the 1.5 hours to see me!)

I will never forget the first time I ever put my babies on my body. I felt a high that I have never felt before (oxytocin). It was in that moment that I knew I had to have my babies that close to me for as long as I could keep them there.

Thanks to hands-free parenting I was able to get things done around the house- regardless of whether my children were cranky/fussy, boycotting naptime, sleeping, or just in a social mood.

Hands-free parenting created a bond between my daughters and I that can NEVER be broken. (And trust me, people have tried to break it!) I am also confident that because I practiced hands-free parenting, my postpartum mood and anxiety disorders did not get as bad as they could have.

In 2015, I took a course through the Center for Babywearing Studies and it completely changed my life because I had NEVER stopped to think about the science behind what I was doing. It moved me to literal tears.

And that’s how I got here today! And I still engage in hands-free parenting, even after 8 years!

This book was written as a result of my own struggles within my parenting journey. There was no one stop shop for this information, and I had to do a lot of legwork to obtain it.

It is my hope that my years of experiences and research can help guide you and your family towards a happy and healthy parenting journey.  

Welcome to parenthood and congratulations on your new arrival(s). Thanks for allowing me to be a part of your new chapter.

Cultural Disclaimer

I acknowledge the historic and cultural significance of baby carriers and their use. In no way, shape, or form am I claiming to have invented something new nor am I presenting any original ideas. This information comes from an integration of my education, my ancestors, and many others who have kept their babies close as a cultural norm over the years. Western society and the advent of babies as an industry (inadvertently) dismissed baby’s need for close contact- especially from a developmental and survival aspect. 

Think about back in the hunter-gathering days, we could not risk letting our babies cry nor could we run to the nearest store for supplies and devices to hold, feed, and calm them. Even today it is common in many cultures to wear baby while adults work.

This book was written with the intention of offering people an opportunity to reconnect with their own roots and cultural history. EVERY society carried their young at some point.

It is my goal to help reintroduce Western society to the concept of hands-free close contact, while allowing others to reclaim their heritages and histories.

See appendix for more info

Children learn more from what you are than what you teach.

-W.E.B. DuBois

Chapter 1

What Is Hands-Free Parenting?

Having twins mixed with not having a vehicle left many issues to be resolved: How do I keep my sanity being in the house all day? How do I get movement within my body that does not push my postpartum limits? How do I keep up with my household chores, especially when one baby decides they want to boycott naptime? How do I survive life while