Are woven wraps and other baby carriers worth it??

No preamble, the answer is a huge, resounding YES!!

Note the time. It is currently 3:23am on a Sunday morning that I thought would be a good shot for me to make it to church - on time even. I can't tell you how huge that is for me.

Alas, those prospects have blown out of the water with this:

I kind of ruined things tonight (last night?) - but unintentionally!! I was sooo tired nursing Curtis before bed that when we switched sides, I figured we'd nurse side-lying so I could catch some zzzz's. He eventually fell asleep and then I fell asleep... then he woke up! So I nursed again.. this happened 3 times. No dice on him staying asleep.

I transferred him to the Pack n Play to fall asleep on his own, which he has done before, but I think the sleep he had before gave him enough energy to STAY UP.

That was at 1:10am.

45 mins later, he was not a happy camper. I go up to pick him up, he's ready set to play. Haha.

Let's nurse to sleep again, shall we? Um no. 15 mins later and he's drowsy but going nowhere towards Lala Land. And I have laundry to do. Lots. Like, "let's catch up from the 3x we tried earlier this week" lots.

Enter, Didymos Latte Wool Indio.

I quickly pre-tied a FCC (Forward Cross Carry), my most used carry because I can easily pop Curtis in and out. I unzip the lower half of his sleep sack and pop him in.

He's happy! The squeals start, the squawks pierce, I shush as I gather up the laundry load. All through the loading and my small admin tasks while waiting for the load to finish, he's pretty awake, throwing his head around, observing these basement surroundings like an Asian tourist in Vegas.

That pic above was taken at 3am. I was starting to give up. We swivel a few times while I repeatedly sing my made up song about sleeping* (6/8 time really helps!), tuck his head into one of the cross passes and... he starts to blink more slowly. I begin typing this post. Why not? I need to kill time.

People, he fell asleep by the time I typed "STAY UP" (how ironic!!). And yes, that can happen with a swing or a drive-around or using your arms to jiggle around or rock or carry or whatever. But what I was able to achieve with a wrap is:

1. He felt assured and comforted. In a swing he *may* have felt like a ditched him, which has happened before with my older 2, and then I'd have to find another solution anyway.

2. I could constantly monitor him. I knew how he was doing and could adjust what I was doing to help him get to sleep, or realize it was all futile and continue on with other things, knowing that my walking around would also help calm him down anyway.

3. I could get up and do things. No, it's not the same with a baby strapped to you, but I love that I can monitor him *and* do the laundry at the same time. I don't have to go over and check, run up if he starts crying, or whatever. I can take care of him right away.

4. I was able to keep him in an ergonomic position without concern for his well-being. I know that swings have been used but swings are also NOT to be used as sleep aids.

5. I didn't have to use up gas and drive around, or get out in the cold (or heat, if it were summer). Basically, I could achieve the same thing a drive-around aims to do without the cost of gas and a possible late night crash because I'm tired.

So are baby carriers worth it? Most definitely. And this doesn't even cover how it helps with my sanity during the day.

Babywearing wins, indeed.


*If you really want to know, the lyrics to this song are all in Cantonese and can be used with almost any simple melody that comes out as you say them.  One you could try is "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow", but almost any song with a swing will do. I'll note the lyrics in Cantonese then include an English, uh, translation. Version. That's it, version. In case these may help thousands of other tired parents around the globe.

Cantonese:

Fun gao-gao, fun gao- gao,
Fuuuuun gao-gao,
Fun gao-gao, fun gao-gao,
Fuuuuun gao-gao.

Fun gao-gao, fun gao- gao,
Fuuuuun gao-gaooooo,
Fun gao-gao, fun gao-gao,
Fuuuuun gao-gao.


English:

Sleep baby, sleep baby,
Gooooo to sleep,
Sleep baby, sleep baby,
Gooooo to sleep.


Sleep baby, sleep baby,
Gooooo to sleeeeeeep,
Sleep baby, sleep baby,
Gooooo to sleep.

Babywearing part 4: Why Woven Wraps?

Wow it's been 2 months! Here's a short post to catch things up. But before we continue,

IHappy International Babywearing Week! =D

Sole Occidente drying on the rack

I often get The Look when I mention that I have more than one wrap, and even more than 3. People wonder why anyone would need more than 1 baby carrier, never mind 9 and counting!

Nino Rose, Lisca Natur, Stroop and ETHI after an
ironing of session. session of ironing. (I was tired!)

It really does boil down to It's None Of Your Business, but I'll explain a bit here. I see these as my love collection. And a lot of people have a collection of something they love.

No one bats an eye when someone amasses 40 video games of which they only really play 3. No one questions a personal library of 300 books. There's nothing wrong with a pile of stuffed animals displayed in pristine collection, or posters plastered around a room, or whatever it may be that people collect! But baby carriers?!

Maybe it's because it's okay to collect frivolous things instead of collect useful things. Just typing that felt weird. Why should it be Not Okay to collect useful things?

Sole Occidente, then Rose Silk Indo 9I 

I didn't intend on getting all these wraps, but I love colours and I am fascinated by the different wrap qualities due to the fabric blend or the pattern or the thickness/thinness. There are a number of factors which bring personality to a wrap and it's lovely, to me, to experience that personality. It's like playing different guitars or admiring the paint job of figurines - I mean, action figures.

Which brings us to, Why Woven Wraps? Why not soft-structured carriers (SSC) or Mei Tais (MT) or any other carrier?

I personally love the versatility of wraps. I can use them on any of my children because they are that strong. I can carry in the front, on my hip or on my back. I can do "poppable" carries which means I don't have to unwrap and rewrap to get my child in and out of the carry.

Kurbis, 1

I also love how wraps bring me closer to my children. The older two do so more for fun but it's so delicious to have them snuggle against my back. My baby is so relaxed when being worn on me and I can see how he is doing pretty much all the time.

I actually love the high learning curve. It's a challenge! The fabric length is overwhelming! But the more I practice, the better I get, and this is the kind of challenge I like: tactile, spatial, helps with parenting... okay, maybe the same can be said of chores but it doesn't appeal to me in the same way. I just love the challenge wrapping brings! Maybe because I love the rewards it gives in snuggles and bonding. I connect with that more.

Shades of Blue 5, ETHI 3

Along with all the above, I can use them as blankets to snuggle with, a hammock to rest in, covers for pretend tents, capes for my kids, all of which have been done save the hammock.

So that's me and wraps. I love them. I have loved some less and they have been shipped off to the arms of another mama who will use it with her beautiful child. As it stands, this is my woven wrap history:

Storch Leo Turquoise 6 - first woven in, now sold
Didymos Sole Occidente cotton 6 - still here!
Didy Emerald Turquoise hemp/cotton 3 - still here!
Didy Nino Rose cotton 7 - still here!
Didy Stroppwafel hemp/cotton 2 - still here!
Didy KinderWinter wool/cotton 8 - still here and waiting for winter!
Didy Aurora cotton 2 - sold
Didy Rose Silk Indio 1 - sold
Didy Lisca Natur cotton 5 - still here!
Didy Shadoes of Blue Indio, hemp/linen/cotton 5 - still here and never leaving!
Didy Kurbis wool/cotton 1 - still here! Used more as a blanket
Didy Teviot v2 wool/cotton 4 - still here! Waiting for winter and back carries
Didy Jade hemp/linen/cotton 4 - sold. I'd like a size 6 in the future if I can
Didy Teviot v1 wool/cotton 5 - on it's way!
Didy Latte Indio wool/cotton 7 - on layaway!

 Yes, this isn't a cheap hobby, but I think I spent as much on my cd collection, which I am not selling off anytime soon. But I have sold off other items to afford the above, and have stopped buying other things - id est I saved - to fund these. It's Still None Of Your Business but I'm sure half those out there, if not most, if not all, are counting the dollars I must have spent. Strange that people do that with wraps but I never saw that in the eyes of people admiring someone's hockey card collection. Hockey cards. Which don't do a practical dime of anything. And I'm not knocking hockey cards, as I used to collect those too, but are you starting to get my point here?

People collect things. My "thing" happens to be wraps, and I get to use them every day to spend time with my children. Don't knock it till you've tried it!

Teviot v2, 4

Jade Triblend, 4

Lisca Natur, 5

Sole Occidente, 6

Lisca natur, 5

So why not other carriers? Firstly, as you can see I only stick to one line. Helps keep the wallet-thinning at bay. That means there isn't much variance to carriers other than prints, and I'd much rather spend my budget on practical differences. For others that's their kick, to have 10 different Tulas or what-have-you, and that's perfectly fine. =)

For more info on woven wraps themselves, take a look at the links below!


http://babywearing102.tumblr.com/post/56148580856/the-economics-of-babywearing

http://www.kokorotextiles.com/blog/2015/2/27/the-life-of-fabric

http://www.sabcollective.com/?p=3144

Baby Wearing Part 3: Woven Wraps!

So... my baby has been born! It's been 4 weeks now and I've had the chance to use my wraps with my littlest one. Because he's still so young, tho, there are only several carries I can do with him, and I've only tried a few of them myself.

But I've been able to take pictures of me with him in the wraps! So here are some of them. And the next post we'll talk a bit more about woven wraps and hopefully answer a few questions about them, such as "Why are they so expensive?" and "Why do some people (like Ada *ahem*) have so many?"

But first, pictures. =)

Didymos Lisca Natur, size 5;
3 hours after birth in the hospital 

Didymos LIsca Natur, size 5;
Front Wrap Cross Carry (FWCC)

Didymos Sole Occidente, size 6;
Front Wrap Cross Carry (FWCC)

Didymos Shades of Blue, size 5;
Front Cross Carry (FCC)

Didymos Emerald Turquoise Hemp Indio, size 3;
Semi-FWCC with slip knot

Didymos ETHI, size 3;
SFWCC w slip knot

Didymos Teviot v2, size 4;
SFWCC with sling rings

Didymos Teviot v2, size 4;
SFWCC with sling rings

Baby Wearing Part 1: My Journey

Long time no post! Sorries and apologies... life happened and I fell off the blogging wagon. Again. Le sigh.

And life goes on. It's just blogging after all!

If we know each other on Facebook, you probably know that I've been swimming into the world of woven wraps. I've used baby carriers before and still have one, but after reading about and trying woven wraps, I really wish I had known about them 5 years ago!

I won't go terribly into depth here, but my baby wearing journey is as follows:

Moby wrap
Pouch sling
Britax carrier
Tula (standard)
Leo Storchenwiege (5/6)
Didymos Cotton Indio (6)
Didymos Hemp Indio (3)
Didymos Nino Rose (7 - was supposed to be a 5!)
Didymos Kurbis Wool (2)

 

L: Kristen kept nice and snuggly while I get to eat!
R: Kristen nursing while I spend time with Derek.

Why have I been switching over to wovens? Firstly, I love their versatility. I thought wraps were more like the Moby, which were hot to use even with my winter babies and so long - fabric was everywhere! That's why I went with the pouch sling, for quick ins and outs before my baby could walk, but I found it straining on the shoulder. I also couldn't use it after baby was a certain weight and size. Moby also has its limitations; even though it advertises use up to 35 lbs, many (including me) have found that it starts sagging after about 15 lbs of weight because of the stretch, requiring me to readjust and retie every 10-15 mins. Not a productive way to spend my time!

  

Derek at 8 months, about 18 lbs?

I then found out about the pouch sling, and I was really intrigued because it would allow me to  I could pop my baby in and out for quick trips to stores or when he was fussing and wanted out of the stroller. While it kept my hands free and was easy to put on, I found it strained my shoulder quite a bit and decided to stop using it.

Kristen snoozing from a walk, me imitating her.
I would NOT recommend outward-facing carrying.

When I found out I was expecting my second, The Britax carrier came out and I got really excited. I had heard that the Baby Bjorn was not the most comfortable due to insufficient lumbar support and spreading of the weight across larger portions of the wearer's body, like the shoulders and back. Britax addressed all of that and I was so excited to find a brand new one including the toddler insert for a fantastic price on Kijiji.

I used both the Moby and Britax with my second. Moby was during the infant months, Britax from about 4 months onward. It allowed me to breastfeed almost arms-free while I spent time with my toddler. We could read together, takes walks out, and I could do chores (hehe, if I wanted to!).

I learned about hip dysplasia not long after and decided I wasn't going to have my child outward-facing. I continued to use the Britax but would have Kristen facing inward, which she didn't appreciate as she wanted to look around. That was difficult to do with the padded structure of the Britax.

http://theportablebaby.com/carrierfeatures.html

Kristen in a standard-sized Tula.

I didn't start looking into other carrier options until my second child was about 18 months and thought about the possibility of walking with her to pick up my eldest from school. I knew I'd need something more comfortable and, even better, could do a back carry. I came across the Tula, along with the Beco and others, and decided on the Tula for the possibility of carrying my eldest in it as well, since it has a larger panel than most.

I got the Tula, I loved the Tula, still love the Tula, but once I found out I was pregnant with my third, realized that I may need to somehow juggle three - three!! - kids at the same time and it would be great if I could wear the younger two and hold the older one's hand. I could get another Tula but they aren't recommended until an infant is 8 lbs and may still require an insert because infants are tiny and, as mentioned, Tula panels are large. Ideally a child's position will have the knees higher than the bum, but with a large panel and small legs, the legs will just stick straight out.

Tula sleepy dust!
I put the hood up afterwards to hold her head.

I saw a picture of a friend on Facebook wearing both her kids with wraps, a newborn and her toddler. I was in awe and completely intrigued. They looked so comfortable and happy. And so snuggly! But I didn't really consider wraps until I heard more moms recommending them in Facebook parenting groups. I finally took the plunge and goodness, is there a LOT to learn!

It's not only about how to use them, but once you start, everyone has different preferences, and there are a plethora of wraps available to meet everyone's preferences, no matter how nuanced. From thickness/thinness, breathability in summers to warmth in winter, grip to slipperiness, bounce/stretch to very little give... and all of those are put in consideration with who is wearing AND who is being worn. I'll describe more in the the dedicated wraps post, but carrying a newborn is different from a 6-month-old, which is different from a 1-yr-old, which is different from a toddler/walker, which is different from a preschooler (yes, you can carry preschoolers!). More support is needed with more weight, but walking kids may end up being in and out of wraps requiring quick ups/downs and even better, pre-tying. All of these are affected by the different weaves and fabric blends available along with what size is used.

Carrying Derek in my first attempt at a ruck carry with a
size 3 Didymos ETHI (Emerald Turquoise Hemp Indio).
Note: The right shows how inexperienced I am as his "seat" is coming undone!

With all that consideration comes the many brands offered, just like baby food - or say, buying gardening tools, or power tools. Each brand has their reason for distinction, as well as varying price tags. I've chosen to stick with Didymos, mainly because I love their patterns and colours and they aren't as expensive as some other brands. I know if I start dipping into other brands I'll be racking up wraps like crazy!

So that's it for now. I'll try to put up a stash shot of my carriers* and wraps for reference. =) Stay tuned for my next post on healthy baby wearing!

*If they aren't sold first