There are many, many, many benefits to babywearing, and I would be a fool to try to list them all here. But here is the big one for a lazy fella like me: it is often so much less of a pain in the ass than dragging around a stroller. A carrier, wrap, sling, or mei tai is smaller, lighter, and more maneuverable than any stroller out there, even compared to those $10 umbrella strollers that in my opinion are the best strollers you can buy. Actually, I think I'll think outside the babywearing box and add the one we have to the list below.
And in case you're wondering, we also use the stroller all the time because Chins loves it, even if some of the more militantly attached parents don't think he should. Fear not if your baby doesn't immediately take to being worn. Chins hated it until he was big enough to hold his head up and look around, because he's always hated being confined. Every kid is different, after all. But here is what has worked for us:
The Ergobaby carrier. We love this thing. Love it, love it, love it. It's much less intimidating than a wrap, but not so intensely constructed as a Baby Bjorn. It can be worn on the front or the back, by either d.w. or me. It barely needs to be adjusted between users, even though she is 5'4" and little, and I am 6'0" and not very little. It's a little bit of babywearing magic.
The Moby Wrap. We used this one a lot until Chins was 3 or 4 months old, when he got up to 15 pounds or so. After that, the mercifully stretchy material started working against us, and he would end up near your knees after awhile. The Moby is great for a newborn, because he and his floppy head stay nicely tucked in, where you can feel your heart melting for all the happy baby gurgles going on. It is, admittedly, really intimidating at first to get the wrapping just right, but it really does become second nature after a few times. Not something to worry about, in my experience.
The mei tai. A style of carrier, rather than a brand, consisting of a wide fabric panel with fabric straps at the corners for tying around the waist and shoulders. I really liked the one we used, although it was rotated out of service when we bought the Ergo (which is basically a mei tai with buckles). Mei tai's are great because they are straightforward, simply constructed, and easy to use. There are also a lot to choose from, made by a variety of small-scale operations. We bought ours locally in Des Moines from The Stork Wearhouse, and it was made by another local wahm, Sarah of Wallypop.
And finally, as promised:
The basic el cheapo umbrella stroller. Small, lightweight, maneuverable, and dirt cheap. It's the anti-travel-system, and that's what I love about it. When I don't feel like carrying around a 26-pound one-year-old, I just stick the boy in the stroller, stick the Ergo in the little hanging net on the back of the stroller, and away we go. And besides, he likes looking around at his world, you know?