I have decided to do a post all about the different ways to wear your baby. I get questions all the time about what type of sling I'm wearing and how does it compare to others, and where can you get it, and how do you spell it. Well, I'm hoping to cram as many answers as possible into this post so that I can just direct folks to here! I'm hoping to use as many pictures that belong to me or my business as possble, but we'll see. Cuz I don't have every type of sling available. So here we go: Starting at the beginning. Birth. In the early weeks I prefer a pouch sling: This is the simplest baby carrier. It's just a sling, fitted to the measurement between your shoulder and hip bone. The baby can lay in it like it's being cradled in your arms. He can also lay in it facing you in a froggy type position (as Bryse is above). Or he can face out. As Cal is above. Different babies prefer differnet ways. I typically let my baby face out unless they are sleepy, then they face me. When my childrfen get older and can sit up I like to use this carrier for the hip carry when I'm in a hurry. Like a quick run into the post office or whatever. Baby can't walk yet but I want (or more likely, need) both of my hands free. As a result of my only wearing my babies hip style with this carrier when I'm in a hurry, I don't have any pictures. But here is a link to instructions and pictures: http://www.slinglings.com/baby_slings.php?main_page=wearing_instructions&position=1 You can also do a back carry with this sling. Personally I've done it a few times when, say, baby is already on hip carry and I need to pick something heavy up. I just push baby back around to my back and do what I gotta do. In my experience, this carrier is not ideal for long term back carrying. You can purchase these types of slings on-line and in some baby stores. Mainly natural baby stores that sell cloth diapers and such should carry them. I've bought one of mine on ebay and another from Seven Slings. Etsy.com has several made by stay at home moms. It's very important to note that the correct type of carrier for this babywearing is like the one above. NOT like this: These more "modern" type of carriers are easier to find and buy but are not safe. The more "bells and whistles" on the carrier to try and modernize it, the worse. This carrier was created by some mainstream company to make a profit off of babywearing coming back into style and has been associated with death. The baby is looser inside of it making it more likely to cause suffocation and not to mention, your just not as close to your baby. The sling should be snug, as in, the baby is going no where! The padding and buckles are not necessary. Next, the Ring Sling! I really want a "cooler" ring sling. But the key word there is want. I don't need it. I bought my ring sling on craigslist, used and it does the job. The ring sling positions are basically the same as the pouch sling, but the ring sling is one size fits most and is adjustable! Plus most have a handy train hanging down from the portion of fabric you don't use that you can use to cover baby when nursing, in cold weather, or if you just want strangers to keep their hands to themselves. ; ) http://www.taylormadeslings.com/instructions.html That link has more instructions and positions to use with this carrier. I like it about as much as I like the pouch sling. I think the ring sling may be a bit more comfortable from a mommy's point of view because there is more fabric to move about in order to get most comfy. You can purchase these much the same as the pouch slings. Next, the Wrap style! I have so many friends that are HUGE fans of this type of carrier! Mainly called Moby wraps (because Moby is a popular brand name) this carrier is about five yards of stretchy fabric. It seems impossibly difficult but really isn't. I promise! A couple times of trying some positions out at home and you'll be ready for public. I bought mine on craigslist when I was pregnant with Jasper. So I have only tried it a handful of times with Deakin. And I still haven't tried the back carry with it. Looking forward to how that will be. I find that it is great for cold weather and walks in our neighborhood. Also you can just keep the carrier on you after you take baby out and then when you need it again, just slip them back in, since it's stretchy. I've not tried nursing in it, so I don't know how that is. http://site.peppermint.com/girasolcarry.htm Next, and my favorite, the Mei Tai! These are the type of carriers I make and sell. When I was pregnant with Bryse I really researched what type of carrier would be best for me and this is what I decided. But they run about $80, so I decided to make one. That resulted in friends and friends of friends asking for me to make one for them as well. And the rest is history. Real quick, my favorite things about mei tais: really easy to nurse distreetly, adjustable to size of baby/toddler, back carry is super comfy and easy, stylish fabrics, one size fits most, comfortably wear in every position possible. A down sides for some, really long straps can be overwelming. I just wrap them up and throw them in the floor of the van. I use the mei tai almost exclusively starting around 2 months old and until they are 2 or so years old. Depending on the child. Here are all the ways that the mei tai can be worn. And since this is my most used carrier, I have lots of pictures. http://kozycarrier.homestead.com/instructions.html That link is for the best instructions on all the ways to wear the mei tai. For info on how top purchase one of my mei tais, click on the Milestone Mei Tai page above. Or google Mei Tai baby carrier and find many other places to buy them. Okay, so last, soft pack carriers. This will include the Ergo. http://www.ergobabycarrier.com/ Which is supposedly super amazing! They cost a small fortune, so I have never had one and probably won't ever have one. But of those that use them, they are fiercly loyal and swear by them! So I have never doubted their superiority as a baby carrier. Two other popular brands of soft pack carriers are the Snugli or Baby Bjorn. These are completely different from the Ergo. The Ergo is designed for comfort of the wearer and for stability for the baby. I have talked to numerous moms and dads that had really bad back pain with the Snugli and Bjorn but none with a mei tai or Ergo. I used a Snugli with Darby and loved it....until I started using more traditional slings and the mei tai. Now when I strap on the Snugli I cringe in pain! Robert even kept using the Snugli for a few months after we had Bryse.... until he tried the mei tai and then he never looked back. Also, Snugli and Bjorn are not designed to best hold baby. They are hard on their hips because they are dangling by their crotch. And for a newborn, having their legs out isn't natural. So those are the downsides of those carriers. With a comparison photo below. SO! That's all I got for now! That is the general overview. There are other more rare ways to wear babies but these, in my opinion, are the most used.
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LindseyI'm the mama and wife. Updating you on our life! Archives
January 2022
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