I have experimented with wearing my kids since Emma was just a few weeks old. I had a tough time at first. By the time I figured the sling out and got her in a comfortable position, she was not happy with me. It just didn't work. By the time she was four months old, though, as shown in the first picture, she loved the sling, especially facing forward. This way she could snuggle with mama and bounce along to the movement while watching the world. That was a great sling, borrowed from a good friend. Then I found one at a consignment shop and returned hers. It was too big and while I attempted to make it work, it just was never comfortable. My friend, Sarah, introduced me to the Moby Wrap shortly before
Andrew was born. It's this huge piece of fabric that ties around and you can put the baby into all sorts of positions, much like a sling. I used it some as he was a baby but then as the weather got warmer, so did the wrap. We started using a borrowed Baby Bjorn (thanks, Lesley) for a long time. Andrew loved it and it was easy for both Pete and I to put on and adjust. Eventually he got heavier and I began looking for another option. That's when I discovered the pocket or pouch sling. Some women I knew had purchased really great ones but then I met a few at my mom's group that had made their own. So I tried it and it worked!! $3 for a sling that just involved sewing a few seams... can't beat that. This one is good for a hip hold for an older baby but still requires hand support. That's fine sometimes but I really have been missing the hands-free benefit of the Bjorn. So I pulled out the Moby Wrap again today and put him in an older baby position. Because of all the fabric, it seems it might distribute the weight a bit better than the Bjorn so there isn't so much pressure on shoulders. But there's an awful lot of fabric to deal with too. You'll see I need to work a little at wrapping it the right way. I want to be sure I don't cut off his circulation anywhere! But it served the purpose of walking down the street and back, and of course he loved it!!Have you ever worn a baby? What did you use and when? Maybe Sarah or other baby-wearing bloggers want to post cute pictures of their little 'roos on their blogs!
6 comments:
Okay, twinkie, this is too weird. I was just waiting for a photo of myself in my hip sling to be taken so that I could post photos of myself in all of my baby-wearing contraptions and write about them, just as you did. I love babywearing and think it is great. I will blog about it soon - my blog will look like yours only with photos of me and my kids instead of you and yours.
Can't wait to see your cute pictures!
Yes, babywearing photos are among the cutest. I love seeing little Emma and Andrew all cozy with their Mom!!
I love this blog post!
I had a sling similar to the one in the photos at the top. I was nice because you could adjust how low it hung but, I found the padding around the edge to be to bulky. It never sat right on my shoulder and interfered with my purse carrying capabilities.
When my second was born, my mom made me one of those native baby carriers (like the one you used with Andrew for hip carrying). It was better because it wasn't so bulky and could easily be stored in my purse. However, it didn't have much give and if I kept Jackson in the sling too long, he would have red creases in the back of his legs. I want my mom to try making the pattern with a knit or jersey fabric so it's softer for the baby.
Like you, I just didn't feel comfortable using the slings until the babies had enough muscle strength to hold up their heads. I tried it many times with my newborns and just didn't like the way they got scrunched up in the pouch.
I would really like to try that other carrier sometime; maybe with the third??? There is no bun in the oven... I will be sure to tell my mom about it (the carrier) and see if she has known anyone who used it.
Sarah, I checked out the website and saw they now have one in chocolate brown...brown being your new black and all.
Me! I loved my Kangaroo Korner Fleece Pouch for Tyson and can't wait to use it again for this new baby. I think I'll be more likely to use it with a second one as my hands will be naturally more tied up than when I only had one kid to keep track of. I'm going to follow the advice of a friend this time and get her in the pouch right away, hoping she'll love it from the very beginning. I felt the pouch was a great all around sling that I ended up using from newborn till about 15 months with Tyson.
Love the pictures Kris! Tyson recognized Emma!
I wish I had gotten one of those. I remember a friend recommending Kangaroo Korner when I was pregnant with Emma and I just never bought one. It sounds like it was a excellent purchase.
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