# Babywearing and Lawn mowing?



## happilyloved (May 29, 2004)

My DH is in charge of cutting the grass, but he has been working long hours and helping out in a million other ways when he gets home. This time of year it really needs it a minimum of once a week, but ideally every few days because it grows so fast and he just doesn't have time to get it done. I can leave my daughters in the house to get it done, but definitely not my almost 18m DS. I would never let him play outside while I mow, but I am wondering about wearing him. Is there any reason that wouldn't be safe? I guess flying objects could be an issue, but I would be between him and the mower if he is on my back. Anything I am not considering? I would love to surprise DH by taking something off his list of responsibilities, but not at the cost of DS's safety.


----------



## katiesk (Nov 6, 2007)

his ears. i would be concerned about the noise of the mower - when dp mows, he always wears high quality ear plugs. if you could get your kiddo to leave on ear muffs or something, that might work. my dd would just take them off though, and whoever was wearing on her on their back would not see...


----------



## mama2soren (Feb 12, 2009)

The ears were my first thought too. I wouldn't chance it, given that hearing damage is permanent.


----------



## Jaesun's Dad (Feb 19, 2010)

For a typical gas powered motor I can think of many potential hazards I don't really want to spell out. The least graphic of which is the exhaust from a two stroke engine.


----------



## moonlitemama (Oct 27, 2004)

I agree with the other posters. When my kids were little and I, too, needed to mow the lawn, I chose to buy a push (reel) mower. No noise and no fear of debris being thrown so the kids could be in the yard while I worked.


----------



## annethcz (Apr 1, 2004)

I wouldn't do it either. I used a reel mower when I mowed with my little ones around, but I didn't find it to be a practical solution.


----------



## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

I mow the lawn regularly with DS on my back in the Beco. He loves to wear daddy's noise-cancellation headphones, but even without them the mower is not loud enough that I would fear any permanent damage.


----------



## ~cassie (Aug 31, 2009)

The dust/fumes too. Now, we have a riding mower and I tend to let one of the kids ride with me every now and again but it still kicks up some dirt in certain areas of our yard and it is really loud.


----------



## lifeguard (May 12, 2008)

One of the reasons we switched to a reel mower was so that I could mow with ds around. Like pp said the first thing I'd be concerned about is the noise of a gas mower (although electric mowers are often quite quiet). And the fumes make me feel ill so I'm sure they wouldn't be good for dc (again an electric mower wouldn't have this problem).

Oh & it's a major workout to mow with dc on your back so don't do it when it's really hot.


----------



## Jerlin (Apr 19, 2010)

I would be worried about the noise as well. I'm not sure what noise level is acceptible at that age. I'm not sure if there are mowers out there that are less noisy. Perhaps and electric one? I don't know. But for the gas powered mowers, I'd also be worried about the fumes. And if your baby has allergies, mowing the lawn while wearing him might make your baby's allergies worse.

Is there a way you could get a neighborhood teen to mow your lawn? Or maybe ask someone to sit with your children for maybe an hour or two?


----------



## Sharlla (Jul 14, 2005)

.i always mowed with ds2 on my back and he would fall asleep pretty quickly. our lawn mower wasnt much louder than the vacuum so i didnt worry about it
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Sharlla (Jul 14, 2005)

we now have an electric mower and its super quiet
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## lach (Apr 17, 2009)

Can you do it while he naps?


----------



## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *~cassie* 
The dust/fumes too. Now, we have a riding mower and I tend to let one of the kids ride with me every now and again but it still kicks up some dirt in certain areas of our yard and it is really loud.

Around here they REALLY advise AGAINST letting children ride on riding mowers with the blade active. There have been cases of the child falling off and then being cut severely by the blades before the parent could stop the mower. Super scary!


----------



## ElliesMomma (Sep 21, 2006)

ears AND EYES. to protect his eyes, your kiddo has got to wear at minimum sunglasses that fit. better would be "shop" glasses that are curved around the sides to really protect the eyes.


----------



## Spirit Dancer (Dec 11, 2006)

WE have to be so safe these days that we can barely do anything.
I would use common sense like if you have a really loud mower (some are some are not so bad) or it spews fumes then no I would not. Otherwise yes I would.


----------



## karne (Jul 6, 2005)

It's a really bad idea. Fumes, noise, etc. I do a lot of mowing, as in acres. It does happen that a mower blade will hit something in the grass and send it zooming-usually low and out sideways from the mower, but I have definitely had the experience of having near misses at my adult level height. The force of a flying object is amazing, and not something I would want a child around.


----------



## Tizzy (Mar 16, 2007)

I always mow the lawn and the kids are excellent about being aware of where I am.
So when I am mowing the ditch, they play in the yard, when I'm mowing the yard, they play up by the chicken coop etc.
New baby sleeps in the bouncy chair in the shade which I move to be far enough away to be safe for both debris and noise.
But we have a large enough yard to make all of this possible. Our lawn tractor is no louder than the farm tractor or the vacuum cleaner.

Under no circumstances do we ever EVER let the kids ride with us when we are cutting the grass. They are far too wiggly and accidents can happen very quickly.
Same with the farm machinery, they are allowed to have the occasional ride in the cab tractor, but never EVER on the open tractors.


----------



## almadianna (Jul 22, 2006)

I know that some people do but I dont and I regularly preach that this is not a good idea.


----------



## goodheartedmama (Feb 1, 2007)

I do it regularly. I don't really have any other option, especially in the heat right now. DH works nights, so can only mow when it's really hot in the afternoon, or when it takes up several hours of our weekend time. I can throw M on my back and have my older 2 playing in the yard (away from the mower). It's great exercise. Sometimes when I'm doing the backyard, I'll put her in her swing and have the older 2 push her back and forth (while I keep an eye on her, obviously). It's easier on me to be able to do this at night when it's cooler.


----------



## SaoirseC (Jul 17, 2009)

Generally, I'm the person saying "meh, people are too hyper about safety these days" but on this issue I'd have to say no I certainly wouldn't.

However, if you do I would second the "ear protection" thing. Maybe stating the obvious here, but winter-style ear muffs aren't going to cut it.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *an_aurora* 
I mow the lawn regularly with DS on my back in the Beco. He loves to wear daddy's noise-cancellation headphones, but even without them the mower is not loud enough that I would fear any permanent damage.

While maybe this doesn't pertain to aurora because she says that their mower isn't very loud, children need child-sized muffs. Ear muffs work by pressure/sealing. If the muff doesn't make a tight seal completely around each ear, it's not working properly. You can find some kid-sized ear muffs here. http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/chearpr.html

If you're back-carrying, I don't think your LO would need eye protection.


----------

