{"id":3211,"date":"2010-10-12T16:36:23","date_gmt":"2010-10-12T20:36:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lunardreams.net\/baby\/?p=3211"},"modified":"2010-10-12T16:36:23","modified_gmt":"2010-10-12T20:36:23","slug":"babywearing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/lunardreams.net\/baby\/?p=3211","title":{"rendered":"Babywearing"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the comments Beth asked about my opinions on the different options for babywearing, so I thought I’d type up a post. Keep in mind this is just my opinion, everyone seems to prefer different things!<\/p>\n

Hotsling (Pouch Sling)<\/strong><\/p>\n

First thing I got were pouch slings. I actually have 3 of them in different patterns (all Hotslings). I can’t stand them. I’ve tried them like three different times at different ages so far and I just don’t like them at all. When she was teenie I didn’t like how she layed all curled up with her chin on her chest. Now that she’s starting to be carried around on my hip I tried it again and still don’t like it. If I want a pouch I reach for my ringsling, which is adjustable so I can tighten it just right.<\/p>\n

Ringsling<\/strong><\/p>\n

The ringsling. A friend made this one for me, and I love it. This is what I used when she was teenie tiny, in a horizontal tummy-to-tummy hold, keeping her nice and close and high on my chest. Now that she’s bigger and doesn’t want to be all frogged up in there I tend to not use it as much, but it is great for an easy hip carry, again the adjustability means I can tighten it so it’s snug. I love that it’s adjustable so I can tighten it up against her back after she’s in, making it just as snug as she or I want it. It’s also quick and easy to pop on and off, which is great when your baby wakes up screaming in hunger and you need to get her out of it in 2 seconds flat. The downside of the sling is that it’s on one shoulder, so while it’s great for an 8lb newborn it won’t be as easy on the back as the baby grows. I also noticed when she was little that she’d lean her head up against the ring, and that bothered me a little.<\/p>\n

2 weeks old
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4 months old
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Stretchy Wrap<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have a Moby wrap that I used. First, it is complicated to put on. I’m sure you would get better at it with practice, but it definitely has a learning curve and is intimidating. It takes some time to tie on before putting the baby on (with a normal front hold, at least), which totally didn’t work for me because I had to put her down first, and she screamed the whole time. Plus it was really hot this summer and I did NOT want to wear several extra layers plus the baby – that was the main reason I didn’t use it. However, that being said, once you have it tied on and the baby in it, it is WICKED comfortable. I took Kate to her cousins’ baby shower in this when she was less than a month old and she slept for 3 hours solid. It was great. Unlike the sling this is over both shoulders so and it’s all fabric so there is absolutely nothing to dig in or bother. I think if I had a spring\/fall\/winter baby I would have used this a LOT more around the house. Now that she’s getting bigger I just don’t reach for it at all, but you can do a front carry in it once they have head control and she loved that! (But front carries are hard on your back, so I didn’t do that for too long!)<\/p>\n

Sadly I cannot find a picture of her as a little one in this, though I thought I had one.<\/p>\n

2 months old
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Mei Tai<\/strong><\/p>\n

The mei tai that I have is the Kozy carrier. I bought it used and selected it for its shape and how comfy it looked. I was right! This is my go-to carrier. It distributes her weight evenly across padded shoulders, it’s comfy for her and me. The back is high and curved to create a nice little headrest for her even now at 4 months old. When she was little I kept her legs inside the carrier frogged, but now I pull them out to hug my body. It does take some maneuvering to get it tied on when you’re alone, but I quickly learned to do it. Unfortunately the one I have has XL straps, and I really really wish I had normal length straps as they drag on the ground when I’m trying to tie it, yuck. I used this carrier when we went to the airshow, I use it for grocery shopping, and I use it around the house when I’m desperate to get her to sleep.<\/p>\n

2 months old
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4 months old
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Soft-Structured Carrier<\/strong><\/p>\n

These are the carriers that have buckles. I ended up purchasing the Beco, but the other popular choice is the Ergo, which I have heard absolutely glowing reviews about. We really like the Beco. I bought it because of the shape – it has a higher back, which was great for when she didn’t have head control. It does have an infant insert but Kate and I both hated it – she did better just with her legs frogged inside. It’s a comfortable carrier to wear, and the buckles make it easy to get on and off – which is really the main benefit, IMO. This was what I was using for a while every time I went out, because it was easy on and off in public, no straps laying on the ground. It can be a bit tricky to get her in it when she’s flailing around, because there is a layer between the baby and you, I think the Ergo would be a bit easier in that way. (The Ergo also has an infant insert that I saw someone using the other day, and it actually looked really good – like a big cushion to seat them higher and provide head support.) This is “daddy’s carrier” – he refuses to use a sling or tai, he wanted buckles. Buckles are manly. And we ordered it in black. The one downside I’m finding is that it is a bit of a pain to re-adjust it for him and me, so basically now that he’s using it I stopped. I do still use it from time to time, but honestly I find that my mei tai is more comfortable if I’m going to be wearing her for a long time or if she needs to nap.<\/p>\n

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In the comments Beth asked about my opinions on the different options for babywearing, so I thought I’d type up a post. Keep in mind this is just my opinion, everyone seems to prefer different things! Hotsling (Pouch Sling) First thing I got were pouch slings. I actually have 3 of them in different patterns […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":71,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[509],"class_list":["post-3211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-babywearing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/lunardreams.net\/baby\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/lunardreams.net\/baby\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/lunardreams.net\/baby\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/lunardreams.net\/baby\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/71"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/lunardreams.net\/baby\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3211"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/lunardreams.net\/baby\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3211\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3213,"href":"http:\/\/lunardreams.net\/baby\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3211\/revisions\/3213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/lunardreams.net\/baby\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/lunardreams.net\/baby\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/lunardreams.net\/baby\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}