Baby Björn Birding
I don’t want to brag or anything, but I’m pretty sure that I’ve either got this birding with baby thing down cold or I have the most birding friendly baby of all time. It’s quite possible that both are true. You see, this past weekend I got out both mornings, to two different birding locales for upwards of two hours both times with nary a fuss from the junior birder. That, in and of itself, is pretty impressive, but there were times, and I don’t think I’m reading too much into this, that Noah seemed interested, nay fascinated, by our outings.
The secret, friends? Besides having a child who has apparently received the benefit of my genetic predisposition towards bird obsession (with its attendant baggage too, I imagine), I’ve found the Baby Björn backwardy-pack thing to be an indispensable tool for birding with child. For starters, once he got to the point where he could more or less hold his head up, he really enjoys staring at the trees. That is when he’s not sleeping of course, another advantage as the gentle rock of the birder’s pace appears to be something akin to baby Ambien. He can manage for 15 to 20 minutes but after that, he’s typically out like a light.
You won’t be able to wear one of those binocular bra things if that’s what you prefer. Fortunately the weight of even the heaviest pair of binoculars is nothing compared to a 12 pound baby strapped to your chest. I just sling my bins around my neck and lay them next to Noah when he sits in front.
You’re not limited by stroller paths or even trails really, though I haven’t quite figured out how to manage the various and sundry accessories that go along with a baby. I don’t really have a place to put a spare bottle, or a diaper, or wipes. Lately I just limit my outings to between feedings and hope he doesn’t dirty a diaper out in the middle of nowhere. Granted, that hasn’t always worked out perfectly for me in the past and I wouldn’t call it a perfect situation, but under the circumstances it works pretty well.
All in all, I’d say I’m pretty happy that my birding hasn’t suffered appreciably since Noah came along, and it’s largely because of the Baby Björn. It may be cheesy and ridiculous looking, but it beats a stroller by a longshot.
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You have the most birding friendly baby of all time. Erik absolutely HATED the Baby Björn.
Ha, I knew it!
My 2 month old falls deeply asleep about 10 seconds after I start walking with it. Pretty convenient for birding (but the stroller is quite convenient to carry my 80 mm scope underneath, along with the diaper bag, a snack, and my sibley)
He doesn't look like he's doing much birding…
Good stuff Nate. I haven't purchased a Baby Bjorn or the backpack yet. I don't know which way to go. I like Laurent's comment about the stroller, but I also like the freedom of the Baby Bjorn or the backpack. I guess, like with every other baby product, I'll just get them all.
@Laurent- I can see the advantage of a stroller for cargo, but I don't go anywhere with smooth enough paths to make it work.
@John- He rarely does, truth be told.
@Patrick- Go with both. The Bjorn works well now, but I'm looking forward to the opportunity to put him in the backpack where I can go on longer walks and carry more stuff with me. That's the biggest disadvantage of it so far.
Braggart. Your experience so far has been nothing like mine!
The baby Bjorn is nice until they get a little bigger. I've been birding with my son in the backpack pictured in this post.
But, if he's awake and starts bouncing it is almost impossible to keep a bird in your field of view.
Nice to have him along but if I really need to make an ID I've had t pass him off to other adults.