Chic diaper bags and designer baby outfits no longer corner the market when it comes to style. Baby carriers are now another way to make a fashion statement.

Our first carrier was a basic, solid-colored unit borrowed from friends. It served us well, but by the time our second child arrived, more variety was available. We invested in a different type, fancier already by sporting a zippered pocket, fold-up hood and a whopping two colors.

Now there are wraps, slings, pouches, backpacks, and even muscle-building options for twins and toddlers up to a hefty 50 pounds. Available in a myriad of colors and designs, today's carriers have names like "hotslings" and are tricked out with the likes of removable infant seats, storage pouches and head rests. All this has been spurred on by the recent upward trend in babywearing.

Babywearing is actually customary in many countries, especially developing ones where prams are unaffordable, not to mention impractical. I can vouch for this after having tried to push our stroller along an unpaved road overseas ("tried" being the operative word). The villagers were probably laughing at me, the ill-equipped foreign mother. Cloth slings reign in such places.

Babywearing has not always been as popular in industrialized countries, however. The thought of lugging around weight equivalent to a large sack of rice all day does seem demanding. However, babywearing has increased lately with the spread of attachment parenting, plus the emphasis on breastfeeding and the subsequent need for a way to discreetly nurse.

Most parents would agree with the following:

(A) Soothing a wailing baby is a priority.

(B) Babies stop crying faster when they're held.

However, I have found that holding our baby while trying to do anything else (e.g., preparing meals, carting luggage) is difficult if not impossible. Enter the baby carrier, which makes our munchkin happy because he is close to me. Plus, he feels like he is "participating" in whatever I'm doing. Voila: happy infant = happy me.

There are now groups dedicated to babywearing, stores that specialize in carriers, and babywearing consultants. While I have primarily encouraged our keiki to be mobile rather than be held, there are many times when I have been thankful for our carrier, like when climbing stairs or running a quick errand. Besides, babywearing is a wonderful excuse to snuggle my little one close, and we moms can certainly never get enough of that.

Monica Quock Chan is a freelance writer who lives in Honolulu with her husband and children.