Babywearing Series

Since I love baby wearing so much I offered to write for The Mommy Goods about it!  I am going to be writing a series on the different carrier styles.  I will write about my experiences with  pouch slings, mei tai (asian style carriers), wraps (stretchy and woven), Soft Structured Carriers *SSC* (Ergo, Boba, Beco),  ring slings and rebozos.  These will be the ones I’ll be discussing with you in the following weeks.  I’m excited to share my love and knowledge of baby wearing with you all!

As a first time mama I found that my little man was quite the fuss budget.  He loved to be outside and also needed to be moved around.  No sitting still, he knew the second you’d sit and start to fuss again.  I am sure you have known some babies to be that way, and maybe you yourself are lucky enough to call one your own!  I had no idea there was even the term baby wearing.  All I knew is I got a snugli carrier at a garage sale for 3 dollars and thought I had found a steal.  Ha!  Little did I know I wasn’t just going to dip my toe in, but dive head first into the world of baby wearing.  Thanks to a lovely invention called  the internet, I was able to learn all I needed to get myself from the snugli to where I am today. 

First off I found out that my son LOVED to be worn.  He instantly calmed his unhappy self and became really mellow.  He liked being close to mama, and mama liked that she was hands free and could get some much needed chores done.  We could take a walk and he’d fall asleep, no fighting it!  He was a sleep fighter through and through, yet when he was worn he would fall into a slumber with ease.  It was like magic!  Well as I became more and more informed I realized that the snugli wasn’t as great as I had thought.  Also after he was 13-14 lbs it hurt my back terribly!  The straps dug into my back and sides.  I found out that the way a snugli, or bjorn are made is not the best way for a growing baby to be held.  They are just literally hanging by their crotches, thus putting all the pressure on their developing spines.  So I did some research on different carriers.  Wow there is a ton of choices out there!  Many seemed complicated (they aren’t ;) ) and I was afraid of wasting my money on something I couldn’t figure out how to use.  There are tons of choices of brands now!  There is absolutely no shortage of choices.  You can find nice carriers at many brick and motar stores.  There are many wonderful online stores, and even work at home mamas on Etsy, all offering so much to choose from!  You can even find tutorials on line and sew your own.  The word baby wearing has become more main stream and thus the carriers are more readily available.  I have grown quite the stash of carriers.  I now have a decent stash of carriers and own a lot of styles.  I have found what carrier works well with what age, and also the pros and cons of each carrier style.  I wore my son and daughter up until toddler hood.  Really only stopped because they would rather walk and run than be worn.  My life as a mother wouldn’t have been complete without a carrier nearby! 

~Laura B