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'Baby toting' in 1963

Broadcast Date: May 10, 1963

"Why are you so interested in baby toting?" asks host Anna Cameron in this 1963 clip from CBC-TV's Telescope. Her guest, Mrs. Peterson, has a simple answer: she was looking for a way to keep her babies close to her while still having her hands free to do the housework. She began to research baby carriers around the world, and found a variety of innovative contraptions. She also found an added benefit to carrying your baby this way — the motion puts the little one to sleep!

'Baby toting' in 1963

• Baby carriers in various forms, including slings, front carriers and back carriers, are relatively common in North America today. And they've been used in other cultures for centuries. But in the early 1960s in North America, they were considered fairly unusual.

• Also known as "baby wearing," toting your baby in a carrier close to your body has become increasingly trendy in North America with the rise of "attachment parenting" — a theory made popular by parenting expert Dr. William Sears in the 1990s.

• In addition to "baby wearing," other attachment parenting philosophies include breastfeeding, not letting your baby cry to sleep, and bringing your baby into bed with you.

• Recently baby carriers have become more than just a way to bond with baby — they're now considered a fashion statement in some circles. A 2006 New York Sun article described baby slings ranging from $99 to $550, some of which were made from hand-dyed cottons and linens. "People are viewing them as fashion items," explained a store manager.

'Baby toting' in 1963

Medium: Television

Program: Take 30

Broadcast Date: May 10, 1963

Guest(s): Mrs. Peterson

Host: Anna Cameron

Duration: 10:19

Last updated:
Jan. 4, 2012